A former evidence custodian at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department pleaded no contest to destroying a blood sample taken from his DUI arrest in 2024.
Tommy Ray Trimble was immediately sentenced to two days in county jail, two years of probation, and 30 days of community labor for one count of preparing false evidence and a misdemeanor count of destroying evidence, according to the LA County District Attorney's Office.
Trimble must also attend a court-ordered alcohol treatment program for six months and pay $300 in restitution.
"We entrust our public officials and law enforcement officers to uphold the law, not to break it," LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said last November when Trimble was charged. "Those who perform civic service should expect to be held to a higher standard. This wasn't a mistake. This was a concerted effort to flout the law to escape justice."
Prosecutors said Trimble worked at the LA County Sheriff's Department crime laboratory in Downey, where investigators stored his blood sample taken after authorities arrested him for driving under the influence on July 7, 2024.
Trimble accessed the vault where his blood sample was stored and attempted to destroy the sample by heating it in a microwave, according to the DA's Office.
"The Department was made aware of the alleged misconduct on September 11, 2024, and it was immediately referred to the Department's Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau (ICIB) for a comprehensive review," LASD wrote last year. "Following a thorough investigation, the case was submitted to the Justice System Integrity Division (JSID) on August 21, 2025, for filing consideration."
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