COPS GONE WILD

WESTMINSTER - The Orange County District Attorney's Office filed charges today against a Costa Mesa police officer for hiding a Global Positioning System (GPS) device in a woman's vehicle without her knowledge. Aaron Paul Parsons, 30, Costa Mesa, is charged with one misdemeanor count of unlawful use of an electronic tracking device. If convicted, Parsons faces a maximum sentence of six months in jail. He is scheduled to be arraigned April 28, 2010, at the West Justice Center in Westminster. The Department and time are to be determined.

Parsons is a police officer with the Costa Mesa Police Department. On March 18, 2010, Parsons is accused of hiding a GPS device in 32-year-old Jane Doe's vehicle. He is accused of tracking her and showing up unexpectedly to places he did not frequent at the same time as the woman.

After several run-ins, Jane Doe became suspicious and checked her car. She found the GPS device, which belonged to the Costa Mesa Police Department, and reported it to police.