Full Notification

Public Information Release
September 16, 2015
Lieutenant Steve Brooks, Public Information Officer


A Whispering Pines man was arrested Monday evening for impersonating a peace officer and theft during a state of emergency.

On September 14, 2015 at approximately 4:45 pm, a Lake County Sheriff’s Patrol Deputy was patrolling the Cobb Mountain area. A mandatory evacuation order was in place as result of the Valley Fire; and the roads had been closed to all traffic except for emergency vehicles. The deputy noticed a vehicle in the area of Highway 175 and Maple Shadows Road, which had its hazard lights activated. He also noticed the vehicle was coated in pink flame retardant, due to ongoing fire fighting efforts in the immediate area.

The deputy recognized the vehicle as being associated with 36 year old Steven Fredrick Worley, due to prior law enforcement contacts. He followed the vehicle onto Maple Shadows Road when it sped away at a high rate of speed. The deputy caught up to the vehicle and conducted an enforcement stop near the intersection of Maple Shadows Road and Parnassus Drive.

The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle stepped out and approached the deputy. He was wearing a yellow rain jacket and a blue baseball style hat. The hat was marked with a seven point star that read “California Highway Patrol.” The deputy asked what he was doing in the area and he said he was trying to find something at his mother’s house. The deputy recognized the subject as Steven Worley and asked why he was wearing a CHP hat. Worley began to stammer and said the hat was given to him by a friend. Worley also said he had numerous hats located in the trunk of his vehicle. The deputy asked if he could search the vehicle and Worley said that he could.

The deputy conducted a search of the vehicle and located six cellular telephones, a portable Wi-Fi hotspot device and an Apple iPod. Under the front passenger seat he located a wallet which contained identification belonging to someone other than Worley. The deputy noticed that the documents inside the wallet appeared to have been scorched. The deputy located a safe under items in the back seat. The safe had an electronic keypad and was still locked. Worley said the safe did not belong to him and that it was given to him by a friend. The deputy attempted to obtain additional information concerning the safe, but Worley was unable to provide any additional information. During the search the deputy also located an envelope which contained 13 shaped obsidian points. Worley said he found the obsidian points along a creek.

When asked again why he was driving around in an active fire zone that was under evacuation orders, Worley said he did not know it was active because nobody had told him.

Worley was arrested for theft during a state of emergency, wearing identification to impersonate a police officer and removing, injuring or destroying any object of archaeological or historical interest or value. He was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked.