Charges dismissed against former Paso cop 

After more than a year spent kicking through court proceedings, the misdemeanor charges against a former Paso Robles police officer were formally dismissed June 19.

Deputy District Attorney Jordan Cunningham asked San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge John Trice to dismiss the four misdemeanor counts of “unauthorized access of DMV information” and “unauthorized access of computer data” against Jeffry Bromby, who resigned from the Paso Robles Police Department on June 30, 2010, after eight months spent on administrative leave.

Bromby was scheduled to appear for the start of a jury trial, but Cunningham quickly moved to dismiss the charges. Ilan Funke-Bilu, who represented Bromby since proceedings kicked off in May 2011, told New Times, “All I can say is I’m gratified, and my client’s gratified.”

According to a spokesman with the District Attorney’s Office, the charges were dismissed due to jury instructions issued by Trice a few days earlier. Bromby was investigated by the Paso Robles Police Department and later charged by the district attorney for allegedly using his patrol car computer to run DMV searches of people who weren’t “associated with any call for service.” However, the vehicle code he was charged with violating didn’t include predetermined jury instructions.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, Trice’s jury instructions would have made it impossible for prosecutors to make their case. Office spokesman Jerret Gran told New Times these types of cases
aren’t common.

Bromby was placed on administrative leave from the department on Oct. 28, 2010, after which Paso PD submitted an unrelated criminal case to the District Attorney’s Office. The office declined to file criminal charges. Bromby received $49,308 in pay while he was out on leave. He resigned for undisclosed reasons.