A former Cathedral City police officer is facing a preliminary hearing on Thursday for charges of assaulting and harassing a former girlfriend, as well as stealing and consuming fentanyl after a drug raid.
Claudiu Murzea, 46, from Rancho Cucamonga, has been charged with making criminal threats, domestic partner battery, violating a protective order, destroying evidence, and possession of controlled substances.
During a status hearing on Wednesday, Murzea’s lawyer indicated their readiness to proceed with the preliminary hearing in the domestic abuse case. The hearing will determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed with a trial.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jennifer Gerard has scheduled the hearing for Thursday morning at the Riverside Hall of Justice. A trial-setting conference for the drug case will also take place at the same time.
Murzea is currently being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on a $1 million bond.
Murzea was arrested on October 4 on charges related to domestic violence. He had previously been released on a $5,000 bond while awaiting the resolution of the drug case.
According to a criminal complaint, Murzea allegedly threatened the woman, referred to as “M.M.” in court documents, during the first week of October. He also committed an assault, violating a domestic violence restraining order.
“The victim is terrified as Murzea has registered firearms and is a trained former police officer from Cathedral City,” mentioned a bail-setting request filed by the sheriff’s department. “He was terminated due to drug offenses and has since made credible criminal threats to the Riverside County D.A.’s office, Cathedral City PD, and a law enforcement officer.”
According to Detective Christi Arnold’s filing, the defendant has been displaying erratic behavior through emails and voicemails.
Murzea was initially arrested and charged in connection with the drug case in November of last year.
In May 2022, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed by the sheriff’s department, Murzea and other law enforcement personnel conducted a probation sweep, during which they searched a hotel room occupied by a felon and another individual.
The detainees were taken out of the room, with Murzea assigned to supervise them, as mentioned in the affidavit.
“Officers searched the room and found fentanyl pills, powdered fentanyl, methamphetamine, and a firearm,” stated the document.
It was later discovered that one of the detainees had drugs in his pocket at the time of the arrest, but there was no record of those substances being logged as evidence.
A couple of hours later, Murzea was found unconscious behind the Cathedral City Police Department, suffering from a drug overdose.
Murzea was taken to Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, where fentanyl was allegedly found in his wallet, according to a nurse.
“A toxicology test revealed fentanyl and other drugs in Claudiu’s blood,” stated the sheriff’s department.
Murzea recovered from the overdose but was subsequently fired from the police department.
The drug charges against Murzea are misdemeanors.
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