Twin Rivers Unified School District reached a settlement with its embattled police chief, who has spent more than a year on paid administrative leave while being investigated for misconduct.
Twin Rivers Chief of Police Christopher Breck tendered his resignation Tuesday night in exchange for $36,500. His wife, Margueritte Dias-Breck, a former Twin Rivers police officer, will receive $1,000 in the settlement.
In addition, Dias-Breck will receive $112,500 to settle two workers compensation claims, contingent on the approval of the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, said Twin Rivers spokeswoman Zenobia Gerald.
Efforts to reach Breck and Dias-Breck were unsuccessful Wednesday.
School board president Cortez Quinn said the settlement was in the best interest of the school district. "This bring closure to this part of our district's history," Quinn said. "We are moving forward and continuing to do our work educating our children."
Breck's settlement and resignation were reached following a 6-1 vote at Tuesday's school board meeting. Trustee Linda Fowler was the lone no vote.
Fowler said Wednesday that she felt it was "unethical" to pay Breck when there are substantial allegations against him. "I think there is enough evidence for termination for cause," she said.
Breck was placed on paid leave Nov. 10, 2011, soon after allegations of wrongdoing in his school police department first publicly surfaced. Those allegations included excessive car towings that profited the police force and the existence of unregistered weapons stored in the department's evidence room.
He earned $116,000 as Chief of Police with Twin Rivers.
For more on this story, read The Sacramento Bee on Thursday.
Loretta Kalb started her reporting career at The Sacramento Union, moved to KOVR-13 as a television reporter, editor and producer, headed to The Associated Press in San Francisco and eventually returned to Sacramento and joined The Sacramento Bee. Throughout her career, she has covered the state Legislature, courts, local government and, now, education. She is a Chico native and an Elk Grove resident.
Diana Lambert began her journalism career as a proofreader at the Lodi News-Sentinel. She is now a senior writer at The Sacramento Bee covering K-12 education and California State University, Sacramento. Previously she was The Bee’s Elk Grove bureau chief. Lambert was raised in a military family and lived at bases around the globe. She attended four high schools, graduating from Tokay High in Lodi and then Sacramento State University. She lives in Elk Grove.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.