Huntington Beach officer charged with impersonating another officer online

A Huntington Beach police officer accused of impersonating a fellow officer online is facing misdemeanor charges, prosecutors announced  Friday.

Steven Tennant, 32, is facing two misdemeanor count of internet impersonation for the purpose of harming, intimidating, threatening and defrauding after prosecutors allege he posted another officer’s photo and phone number on an online personals website.

The Huntington Beach Police Department confirmed that Tennant is on leave. The department declined to comment further on the allegations, citing an ongoing personnel investigation.

According to the Orange County District Attorneys Office, Tennant posted the other officer’s information on doublelist.com on Sept. 20 and Sept. 26, causing that officer to receive texts from unknown numbers referring to the posting.

Prosecutors allege Tennant posted the ads after the other officer began dating his ex-girlfriend. The other officer reported the alleged harassment to a department supervisor.

“Impersonating another individual on the internet is not a joke. It is a crime that could result in serious harm,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. “This is not boys will be boys or cops will be cops behavior. It is curious and beyond disturbing that a sworn police officer would engage in such reckless behavior to endanger the safety of a fellow officer.”

Tennant faces up to two years in jail. He is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment on May. 5.

Source: Orange County Register