Former Contra Costa County deputy admits to stealing parts from seized AR-15s, fabricating reports

(KRON) — A former Contra Costa County Sheriff’s deputy agreed to a plea deal for falsely claiming to book seized guns into evidence, when he instead stole parts from the weapons, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office said.

Matthew Allen Buckley, 42, received a prison sentence of three years and eight months. He can serve the term on mandatory supervised release if he completes a six-month drug rehab program.

Buckley will no longer be allowed to serve as a police officer or own a firearm. He served for 15 years in the sheriff’s department before the scandal.

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According to the DA’s office, Buckley helped serve a search warrant in Antioch in September 2020. He seized two illegal AR-15s, phones, laptops, heroin and drug paraphernalia.

After seizing the guns, he authored a police report claiming that he booked them into custody. Instead, he separated the upper and lower sections of the AR-15s, returned the upper section of the gun to its original owner but never gave the lower sections back, the DA’s office said.

In addition to the false police report, Buckley also created false documents and signed for a judge without approval on search warrants for unrelated cases.

Contra Costa deputies searched Buckley’s home in August 2022 and found the stolen AR-15 parts and a small amount of methamphetamine.

He was charged in February 2023 with six felonies and one misdemeanor. As part of the plea deal, he pleaded no contest to three felonies: possession of an illegal assault weapon, filing a false police report, and preparing false documentary evidence.

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