A South Lake Tahoe police officer was arrested today, accused of witness tampering.
The arrest of John Gerald "Johnny" Poland followed a three-year investigation, according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation news release. He was taken into custody without incident this morning in South Lake Tahoe.
According to court documents, the violations include two counts of corruptly persuading a person to alter, destroy or conceal an object's integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding, and attempting to do so, as well as three counts of corruptly persuading another person with the intent to influence the testimony of a person in an official proceeding, and attempting to do so. Poland's alleged actions reportedly took place while he was on and off duty.
Poland allegedly tried to dissuade witnesses from providing information and material, impeding a criminal investigation. Allegations of misconduct include provision of law-enforcement-sensitive information to gang affiliates and sexual contact with minors. The alleged misconduct occurred over a period of several years, including his time as a school resource officer at South Lake Tahoe High School, authorities said.
The arrest resulted from an investigation by the FBI, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department and the South Lake El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team, a task force supervised by the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement.
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