A former Fountain Valley police officer is facing felony charges after investigators found he collected overtime pay for court appearances he never made, leading 27 traffic cases to be thrown out.

Stuart Robert Chase, 50, of Corona, was charged April 7 with one felony count of grand theft and one felony count of filing a false claim to a government entity. He faces up to three years in state prison if convicted. Case number 26CF1776.

The Fountain Valley Police Department opened an internal affairs investigation after finding irregularities in Chase's timecard. What investigators found spanned more than two years.

Between August 2021 and November 2023, Chase was paid $2,590.93 in overtime and comp time for 12 court dates he claimed to have attended. Court records showed him as "not present" on each occasion. On top of that, Chase also skipped 24 traffic court hearings while on duty during his regular shift. In total, 27 cases were dismissed because the citing officer never showed.

Chase resigned from the department before the charges were filed. He has repaid the $2,590.93 in full.

"Serving the public is a solemn responsibility and when a member of law enforcement willfully disregards his sworn duty to uphold the law and fulfill his obligations as a peace officer, it tarnishes the reputation of every hardworking man and woman who wear the badge," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.

Chase's conduct has been reported to the California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training. His officer certification is under review.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Rick Majchrzak of the Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.