A California Highway Patrol officer has
been charged with stalking the girlfriend of a former boyfriend and other
felonies, according to a complaint filed in Napa County Superior Court.
Emily
Marie Seronello, 31, of Napa, is also charged with dissuading a witness from
going to authorities, illegal possession of ammunition, impersonating someone
else on the Internet, disobeying a court restraining order and other charges,
according to the complaint filed Monday in Superior Court.
Seronello
appeared in court Tuesday, but did not enter a plea. Napa County Superior Court
Judge Mark Boessenecker scheduled the next hearing for Aug. 24, according to
court documents.
In
the meantime, Seronello remains free on $50,000 bail, according to court
records.
Seronello,
who was a CHP officer assigned to the Napa unit on Golden Gate Drive, had been
ordered in January to stay away from her former boyfriend, a Napa resident,
according to court records. Commissioner Michael Williams also ordered
Seronello to possess a firearm only in connection with her official duties,
according to court records.
But
an investigation found that Seronello allegedly sent hundreds of harassing text
messages while concealing her identity to her former boyfriend and possessed
two firearms and ammunition in violation of the restraining order, according to
court records.
Seronello
is no longer a CHP officer, CHP representatives said Wednesday.
“As
of May 2012 she’s no longer employed by the department,” CHP spokeswoman Fran
Clader said.
“We
take allegations of misconduct by any of our employees very seriously,” said
Clader, who noted that the CHP had conducted the criminal investigation.
Seronello
entered the CHP Academy in May 2005 and graduated in November 2005, Clader
said.
In
October, the courts ordered Seronello to stay away from her boyfriend after the
Napa County district attorney’s office filed misdemeanor charges against her
for allegedly entering her boyfriend’s house after she moved out, according to
court documents.
In
April, the district attorney’s office filed a motion to terminate a misdemeanor
diversion program after she allegedly contacted the former boyfriend, a
violation of the court order.