A California police chief has resigned while under investigation for allegations that he impacted the career of a subordinate while having an affair with the officer’s wife.
Former Fresno Chief Paco Balderrama was placed on administrative leave on June 13 as city officials investigated the claims. On Tuesday, he resigned.
In a mid-June interview, Badlerrama made what is now considered to be an oblique reference to this wife, Kyla.
“I’ve never claimed to be perfect. I’m also very proud of my family and I can tell you that I owe them forgiveness, and I’ve gotten it,” he told reporters, according to the Daily Mail.
At the time, he gave no indication he intended to step down.
“I am human, I am imperfect, I work extremely hard, I plan on continuing to lead this police department to even greater heights,” he said then. “I have received hundreds and hundreds of messages, sending me Bible verses, saying that they’re praying for me and my family, asking me ‘please don’t quit.’”
In a message to Fresno officers, he wrote, “’My actions did not meet the standards of who I am as a man of faith, husband, or father. I own my mistakes, they are mine and mine alone to bear, and I will pay for those mistakes for the rest of my life. My family has been deeply affected by this and I humbly ask for your grace, discretion, and understanding during this difficult time.”
BREAKING NEWS: Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama has resigned amid an investigation into allegations of an inappropriate off-duty relationship. pic.twitter.com/rldBGYFJCF
— ABC30 Fresno (@ABC30) June 25, 2024
The affair allegedly began in 2021 and continued until late last year.
On Thursday, city officials said Balderrama was being investigated in connection with an “inappropriate relationship,” according to the San Joaquin Valley Sun.
Among the allegations the Sun reported were that he blocked the husband of the woman with whom he had the affair from a job change that could have led to greater scheduling flexibility, which would have interfered with the affair.
However, in announcing the Balerrama had quit, City Manager Georgeanne White pushed back on the claim, according to KMPH-TV.
“While I cannot get into details of the investigation into allegations Chief Balderrama leveraged his position to undermine the officer’s career moves, I can state this allegation was not sustained and evidence to the contrary was presented,” she said.
“This does not excuse Chief Balderrama’s behavior as it relates to the inappropriate relationship, because as he has stated, those actions cannot be justified or defended and are below the standards that he holds for himself and that we hold for the police chief of our city,” she said.
However, attorney Brian Whelan, representing the officer, whose name was not released, said in a statement, “Any attempt by the city to spin this resignation as anything other than Balderrama facing the consequences of his misconduct is a misrepresentation of reality.
“Recent media reports have misrepresented recent confidential efforts to resolve this issue without litigation after months of no action by the city,” the statement said.
“These efforts included a request to honor a 2022 agreement in which Balderrama promised my client a specific position within the department. Balderrama later reneged on this agreement in a bid to further his extramarital affair, a clear violation of professional and ethical standards,” the statement said.
