A 25-year-old with two-plus years on the force became at least the third Riverside County sheriff’s deputy this year to be accused of illegally accessing a computer database.
Deputy Dakota Lasher Robson was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 9, on suspicion of unauthorized computer access as well as vehicle theft and possession of a stolen vehicle, the Sheriff’s Department said in a news release Friday.
The department declined to discuss the case, including a motive, in greater detail on Friday. Contact information for Robson could not be located.
Investigators said they received information that Robson possessed a stolen vehicle. He was arrested in Lake Elsinore and booked into the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in French Valley. Robson posted $10,000 bail and was released on Oct. 10.
Robson was hired in June 2023 and was most recently assigned to the Southwest sheriff’s station. He has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
Deputies typically have access to law enforcement databases to check drivers and suspects for license status, previous criminal violations and to confirm their identities. But they are prohibited by policy and state law from searching for that information for personal reasons.
On Aug. 7, Riverside County Deputy Michael Gene Schmidt, 41, was arrested after the department accused him of illegally accessing confidential information from government databases for personal use. Schmidt worked at the Lake Elsinore station and was placed on paid administrative leave. Schmidt pleaded not guilty in September to four counts of unauthorized use of a computer database.
Also in August, a La Quinta woman sued Riverside County and former Deputy Eric Piscatella, alleging he used his patrol car computer to search for her address and cell phone number to pursue her romantically. Piscatella resigned before the lawsuit was filed.
“The Riverside Sheriff’s Office will continue to conduct audits of law enforcement databases utilized by our employees,” Lt. Deirdre Vickers, a sheriff’s spokeswoman, said Friday. “An investigation will be launched into those not in compliance to determine any criminal culpability. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office holds its employees to the highest standards and will continue to prosecute any employee who uses department databases for criminal activity.”
The Sheriff’s Department asks anyone with information on Robson to call 951-955-1700.
