OPD Officer Charged in Off-Duty Incident in Emeryville

OAKLAND, CA - A rookie Oakland police officer was has been charged with false imprisonment and brandishing a firearm for allegedly pulling a gun on a man hired to paint the door to his Emeryville apartment in February, according to court records.

Officer Matthew Santos graduated from the Oakland police academy on April 3, 2015, and was still in a probationary period when he was arrested on Feb. 18. He has since been released from the department, according to Oakland police spokesman Officer Marco Marquez.

Oakland police made no disclosures about Santos's arrest until last week. Santos is at least the second Oakland police officer arrested since December, though the department has refused several public records requests for the disclosure of any other arrests of officers.

Emeryville police did not immediately return requests for comment today.

According to court filings by Emeryville police Officer Lance Goodfellow, the management at Santos's apartment building left a notice on his door five days before his arrest informing him that his door would be painted. But when Santos arrived home and found the painter working with his door open and an apartment security guard standing by, he pointed a gun and said, "Hey, get away from my door," according to Goodfellow.

The frightened painter ran away.

Santos asked who opened the door.

The painter stopped and Santos, still pointing the gun at the painter's back, walked him down to the building's leasing office, where he was arrested after police arrived, according to Goodfellow.

Emeryville police gave Santos a notice to appear and released him.

He was charged with false imprisonment and brandishing a firearm last week and is next scheduled to appear in court May 23 to enter a plea. Another Oakland police officer, Cullen William Faeth, pleaded not guilty today to misdemeanor battery, trespassing and refusing to leave private property charges in connection with an alleged drunken assault on a woman and her husband in December.

Faeth was found after allegedly banging on the woman's door repeatedly the night of Dec. 7, screaming and swearing at the couple when they came to the door, and eventually jumping on the woman, grabbing her in a bear hug. Oakland police made no disclosures about that arrest until February, when the couple filed a claim against the city.

--Bay City News