An error in a San Luis Obispo County law enforcement database led SLO police officers to conduct a search of a man’s home without a warrant on July 10 while investigating SLOPD Chief Deanna Cantrell’s missing firearm.
Based on a tip from Morro Bay police, SLO police officers searched the home of Cheyne Orndoff, 33, believing he was on probation, subject to searches without probable cause, and possibly in possession of Cantrell’s weapon.
All three of those premises turned out to be false. Orndoff didn’t have the chief’s gun, and, in a mistake that was discovered weeks later, a police database had misidentified Orndoff as being on probation.
After the search, Orndoff and his wife, Vanessa Bedroni, were arrested on suspicion of child endangerment. Law enforcement officials said the officers discovered methamphetamine and needles in the home with two children, and the SLO County District Attorney’s Office charged the couple with felonies.
Orndoff and Bedroni pleaded not guilty to the charges. While Orndoff declined to comment, on a GoFundMe page for his legal fight, he wrote that he believes they were arrested for having a “messy” house, “to support [Cantrell’s] illegal entry into my home.”
“The chief sent officers to my home without a warrant, and they claimed I was on probation, but I was not, so they had a right to raid my home,” Orndoff wrote. “They poured trash cans on the floor, before taking photos to prove we [were] messy. They also left our refrigerator open so when we bailed out of jail, our food was rotten.”
SLO City Attorney Christine Dietrick contended that the police officers responded appropriately based on the information at their disposal.
“Based on the facts available to me, I have absolute confidence our officers acted properly in the best interest of the safety of those kids,” Dietrick said. “Initially why they went out was the gun. It very quickly became apparent to the officers on the scene that this wasn’t a gun search case; this was a child endangerment case.”
Cantrell didn’t return a request for comment from New Times.
Assistant SLO County District Attorney Eric Dobroth declined to discuss the details of the criminal case. He said the probation database error was likely due to confusion on a criminal case that involved Orndoff’s brother, Cole Orndoff, who is on probation for falsely impersonating Cheyne. The database—called the Criminal Justice Information System—is maintained by the county and courts.
“What we now know is there appears to have been a glitch,” Dietrick said. Δ
This article appears in Aug 8-18, 2019.
Their kids were taken away from them and the court said the mom cant even call them on the phone. This couple just got married a few weeks ago and then this happens SO FUCT UP!!! SLOPD needs to rectify this situation and award this couple with $$$ compensation for the stress and heartache that they have been put thru. I want to see the sheriff fired for this. please donate to their go fund me— https://www.gofundme.com/f/children-and-do…
Newtimes, ive always read your paper because i always though you ran circles around the Trib. I hope you are not going the Tribunes way by only presenting the facts that make the SLO ELITE look good.
there is a lot more to this story, and you know it, come on!!!
You should also include these facts in your story.
No meth was found in the home, no one has said that, other than maybe a reporter for the Tribune.
Cheyne has a prescription for those syringes for a prescription supplement that he has to inject twice a week.
the SLOPD dumped the. red used needles. container on the floor and then took pictures. they were so important that they left them there rather than take them as evidence. what does that tell you?
Even though it was his brother that was on probation there was still no search order because it was bench probation which is informal and it does not carry a search order.
no has said that there were drugs in the house and you should retract that part of your article.
This whole thing stinks, it is getting more and more convoluted. the D.A. is just a moniker for whom ever is pulling his strings.
All said and done, The SLOPD chief is lucky that her gun was picked up by a peaceful man that was trying to do the right thing with something he knew was dangerous and, no doubt. saved lives, rather than a man that had a different disposition, things would have looked very different had the 10 year old boy picked up the gun. Whether the gun went off or not, it would have been a child picking up a loaded gun, due to her negligence. imagine the headlines then.
These people have to be sent a MSG from the people of SLO, We are not like that, we want leaders of our community that we can rely on to be people of character , Ive heard people of character defined as follows people of character do the right thing, even when nobody is looking, thats how i live my life, how about you Chief, detectives, CWS, probation, mayor, D.A. and anybody else involved in this fiasco and the obvious cover up attempt.
Skeeter is not a criminal and neither are Cheyne and Vanessa. Skeeter is a quiet peaceful man that likes to stay to himself and he tried his best to do the right thing with this dangerous weapon, Cheyne and Vanessa had a unkempt house and those children do not deserve to be taken away from their parents, that they love and miss, and Cheyne is a recent CAL POLY graduate with honors. Some criminals, right?
Every body in SLO should be outraged and getting ready to hit the streets in condemnation of what is going on
.THIS is OUTRAGEOUS!!! and we should have had enough already!!!
Cheyne and Vanessa need 49,000 people to contribute one dollar or 25,000 people to contribute two dollars or anybody contributing what they can to meet their gofundme goal and get their family reunited, There are repair costs to the house, kicked in doors, refrigertors left open so that all of their just bought food could rot, cleaning supplies to clean up after a SLOPD tornato went through the house, defense costs, such as research, lab tests, PI work and all of the other costs that go with trying to defend yourself against a government that has unlimited tax payer money and has gone rogue,and that charges dearly for everything that you ask from them.
thank you
Based on a tip from Morro Bay police, SLO police officers searched the home of Cheyne Orndoff, 33, believing he was on probation, subject to searches without probable cause, and possibly in possession of Cantrell’s weapon. Sounds more like the SLOPD needed to a little retribution on an innocent person, pretty much sums up what’s going on behind closed doors at the PD’s offices.