The former OC officer called the woman thousands of times, tracking her location
A former Costa Mesa police officer admitted to calling and texting a woman he had an extramarital affair with thousands of times and using secret law enforcement information to track her location, according to authorities.
Robert Jay Josett, 35, of Costa Mesa pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized access to a computer and fraud, one count of harassing and repeated phone calls and one misdemeanor count of contempt of court for violating a restraining order, according to a report from the Orange County district attorney’s office.
Josett admitted to contacting the woman at times more than 100 times a day over a nine-month period, authorities said. He also allegedly violated a restraining order by driving near his home after he was served with a eviction notice by the Costa Mesa Police Department, according to the agency.
He also used law enforcement information to track down the location of the woman, along with his wife.
As a result of her plea, Josett was ordered to complete a 52-week domestic violence program and was sentenced to three years of illegal probation, according to the news release. He has been wearing a court-ordered GPS to monitor his ankle for nine months after his arrest.
Between June 2023 and December 2023, Josett used the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System to make 13 inquiries of people, including a woman and his wife, and vehicles unrelated to his work, according to the news release.
Josett was placed on leave from the Costa Mesa Police Department in December 2023.
Beginning in April 2024, after Josett’s ex broke up with her, he allegedly threatened to reveal pornographic images of her and demanded to know if she slept with anyone else, according to the release. He began calling her and her new boyfriend 58 times a day and stopped by her home, authorities said.
She allegedly also illegally accessed the Police Department’s license plate reader system in June 2024 to track her new boyfriend’s location in Torrance, according to authorities.
On June 28, 2024, Josett was served with an emergency protective order and served with a notice of intent to resign from the Costa Mesa Police Department, according to authorities. Josett left the Police Department and walked past the woman in violation of the restraining order, authorities said. He was arrested.
“The actions of a police officer are shocking, frightening and dangerous,” Orange County Dist. He said. Todd Spitzer said in a statement. “No one should have to live in fear of being followed by a law enforcement detail by someone with a badge and a gun because they decided to end a romantic relationship. And no one hides with a badge as a shield for criminal behavior.”
Josett’s actions were reported to the California Commission on Peace Officer Ratings and Training, which oversees police licensing in California.
