The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday that a deputy involved in a traffic incident just over a week ago has resigned after a subsequent CHP investigation determined that he had provided contradictory statements and that no other parties played a part in the crash.

The now-former deputy is Mathew Arellano, age 31, according to a CHP incident report obtained by the Outpost. “During the course of the investigation, there were some inconsistencies in Arellano’s account of the events. It has since been determined there were no other vehicles involved in the crash,” the report states.

Following the Aug. 7 incident, HCSO posted photos of Arellano’s wrecked patrol vehicle to its social media channels. A statement (which was since been taken down) published along with the pictures claimed another driver had sideswiped Arellano’s vehicle, causing it to roll down an embankment along Singley Road in Loleta.

“Miraculously, our deputy was able to escape with minor injuries. However, the driver who sideswiped the deputy fled the area following the collision,” HCSO stated at the time, based on Arellano’s fraudulent retelling. “Due to darkness and the suddenness of the incident, the deputy was unable to get a good look at the suspect vehicle — other than it being described as a dark-colored truck with passenger side damage.”

Today the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said it no longer believes another vehicle was responsible for Arellano’s wreck. Sheriff William Honsal expressed regret over the false information released as a result of the mistruths concocted by a member of his department.

“The actions displayed by the involved deputy are not representative of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office’s mission, vision, or values, or the nearly 300 employees of the Sheriff’s Office who dedicate themselves to the service of our community every day,” Honsal said. “We will continue to review this incident internally to identify and correct any organizational shortcomings.”

Read the full statement released today from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office below:

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office was recently made aware of the findings of a California Highway Patrol collision investigation involving a sheriff’s deputy on August 7, 2021. The California Highway Patrol concluded that there were no other vehicles involved in the crash, contradictory to the deputy’s initial statement provided to investigating officers. Upon learning this information, the Sheriff’s Office acted swiftly to begin an internal investigation into the matter.

On August 12, the deputy involved in this incident resigned employment with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

“The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has been in communication with the California Highway Patrol regarding this incident. The deputy’s actions are unacceptable and deeply disappointing,” Sheriff William Honsal said. “The actions displayed by the involved deputy are not representative of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office’s mission, vision, or values, or the nearly 300 employees of the Sheriff’s Office who dedicate themselves to the service of our community every day. We will continue to review this incident internally to identify and correct any organizational shortcomings.”

Due to personnel protection laws, the Sheriff’s Office is unable to disclose more about this matter.

Further inquiries about this specific case should be referred to the California Highway Patrol.

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A copy of the CHP’s report is included below: