From Stan Oklobdzija:
A retired Placer County Sheriff's deputy faces charges in Sacramento County stemming from a road-rage incident earlier this year in Citrus Heights in which he is suspected of pulling a gun, records show.
The Sacramento County district attorney has charged Buddy Trumbo, 78, a retired Placer County sheriff's deputy, with two misdemeanor counts - brandishing a weapon and impersonating a police officer, according to documents filed in Sacramento County Superior Court.
Trumbo - who also formerly was the police chief in Plymouth, a small town in Amador County - is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday stemming from the Feb. 6 incident.
Trumbo is accused of flashing a badge and pulling a gun on James Torrez, 46, of Citrus Heights after Torrez allegedly cut him off coming out of a parking lot near the corner of Auburn Boulevard and Van Maren Lane, according to a Citrus Heights Police Department report.
Trumbo is accused of swerving his SUV in front of Torrez at a nearby red light and holding a pistol at him, all the while telling him he was under arrest and trying to handcuff him, according to Torrez's statement to police.
"He was screaming at me to get on the ground and get out of the car," Torrez said in an interview.
Trumbo disputed the motorist's version of events in a phone interview. Trumbo said he did nothing wrong and that he feared for his safety and the safety of others. He claimed Torrez was acting too erratically.
"If he was a normal person, I could have just talked to him," said Trumbo. "He screamed and yelled and cursed me."
Trumbo was cited and released following the incident.
Trumbo said he planned to enter a not guilty plea.
"I've carried a gun for 40 years and never had an incident (until that day)," he said.
If convicted, Trumbo could face jail time, according to court documents.
Torrez said he's upset that Trumbo is not charged with a felony.
"I don't think (the charges) were a fair judgment on what happened," Torrez said.
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