The case against a former La Habra Heights deputy fire chief who impersonated an officer when he pulled over a colleague in Whittier in 2021 ended Monday, Jan. 12.
Timothy Michael Peel, 38, had pleaded no contest on Jan. 10, 2025, to a misdemeanor count of impersonating an investigator.
He was sentenced Monday, Jan. 12, to the misdemeanor, then three felony counts of perjury were dismissed, said Zara Lockshin, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
“He completed 240 hours of community service, 26 counseling sessions, gave up his EMT license, and was fired by La Habra Heights Fire Department,” Lockshin said. “There was no probation, because he completed the terms requested.”
Peel received a type of sentencing called terminal disposition, which meant no probation and no jail time, said his attorney, David Borsari. Under this type of sentencing, the defendant could be required to do community service and attend a program.
During the 2021 traffic stop in Whittier, Peel detained and intimidated his co-worker by ordering him to pull over while activating red-and-blue police lights on an unmarked vehicle, according to the criminal complaint.
Peel also admonished the victim for not pulling over fast enough and warned him about a taillight, Venusse Dunn, also a spokesperson for the DA’s Office, has said.
Peel was dressed in his fire uniform and wasn’t armed, Borsari said in a statement last year: “Mr. Peel never attempted to issue a citation to or arrest the employee, however, during the encounter the employee has stated he did not feel free to leave.”
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department arrested Peel on Jan. 27, 2022, after serving a search warrant at his home in the 15000 block of Danbrook Drive in Whittier. The DA’s Office filed charges against Peel in 2024.
Peel wrote an apology letter to the victim and wrote a promise to not seek future employment as a firefighter under penalty of perjury, Deputy District Attorney Casey Higgins said.
“I have no idea why Peel did what he did,” the deputy DA said. “I speculate he had a hero complex where he wanted to be a cop.”
The red and blue lights used by Peel were from a private company that provides them for La Habra Heights vehicles, he added.