Prosecutors on Monday charged the chief of staff of the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office with two misdemeanors, alleging he was involved in a hit-and-run crash and provided police with false information about it.
While off duty, Richard Jue fled the scene after crashing a sheriff’s vehicle into a parked Tesla in the city’s Diamond Heights neighborhood on March 4, totaling the Tesla, the San Francisco district attorney’s office alleges.
Prosecutors say Jue waited two weeks to formally report the accident, initially claiming he had been the victim of an unknown hit-and-run in a parking lot, only to recant his statement the following day.
“The next day, he allegedly made another report, apologizing and stating he in fact had caused the accident and left the scene without leaving a note,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement.
Jue was booked into county jail on Sunday and released after posting a $7,500 bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday at the Hall of Justice.
Sheriff Paul Miyamoto placed Jue on administrative leave, effective Monday, according to the Sheriff’s Office, which said it presented the case to prosecutors and is conducting its own investigation.
“The Sheriff’s Office holds all members — regardless of rank or role — to the highest ethical and professional standards,” Miyamoto said in the statement provided to KQED. “We believe in the integrity of the judicial process and are committed to ensuring that anyone found guilty of criminal conduct, whether a member of our staff or the public, is held accountable.”
Jue served in the San Francisco Police Department for three decades, most recently as a sergeant, before joining the Sheriff’s Office four years ago, according to his biography page. It also said he is the founder and past president of the San Francisco Asian Peace Officers Association and vice president of the San Francisco Unified Lions Club.
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