A now-retired California Highway Patrol officer was charged with lying under oath about several traffic stops.Prosecutors said that there is video to prove it, but it is evidence that a jury will not get to see.Instead, former Officer Michelle Reinert, who faced a maximum prison time of roughly 24 years, is allowed to do therapy for two.KCRA 3 Investigates takes a closer look at why, even though prosecutors say the evidence is “overwhelming,” this case will not go to trial.“We are here as part of a criminal interview with Officer Michelle Reinert,” a CHP sergeant explained in an audio recording before giving a Miranda warning.“Having these rights in mind do you wish to talk to us now?” he asked.Reinert paused for 10 seconds before hesitantly responding, “No.”“Do you have any questions for us?” she was asked.“I have no idea what’s going on, so I don’t even know what I’m supposed to ask,” Reinert said.It’s been nearly three years, but Scott Bohl said he remembers it clearly.“I was driving south on I-5 in Yolo County,” he said. “Saturday morning, Memorial weekend, and I know the CHP is out in force during holiday weekends.”So, he wasn’t surprised to see an officer parked ahead under an overpass. He was surprised, however, when that officer pulled him over.“She said she clocked me doing 86 miles an hour. I told her I wasn’t speeding,” Bohl said.For the first time in his life, he said, he got a traffic ticket.“For no reason whatsoever, she singled me out,” he said.The ticket came with a $274 fine, and a point on his driving record that would cause his car insurance to go up.“It hurts when you’re on social security, and that’s your sole income,” Bohl said.He went to court via Zoom to fight it. That is when he learned that, under oath, Officer Reinert’s description of that day was very different.“As I was traveling southbound, I observed a vehicle ahead of my location when I was traveling about 80 miles per hour,” she told the judge. “The vehicle was directly in front of my patrol vehicle in the number two lane.”At this point, Bohl started waving to get the judge’s attention.“The vehicle was about 100 feet ahead of my patrol vehicle, and it was pulling away as I was 80 miles per hour. I accelerated up to 85, and then the vehicle was at a steady, even pace with my patrol vehicle in a 70 miles-per-hour traffic zone,” Reinert testified. “At this time, I made a steady pace of the vehicle directly in front of my patrol vehicle 100 feet ahead for approximately a quarter of a mile.”Again, Bohl began waving, hoping to interject.“That’s a lie, a total lie,” Bohl told KCRA 3 Investigates, recounting the incident. “My blood pressure must have been through the roof when she started saying that. I just couldn’t believe it. I was shocked.”The 22-year veteran officer said she was driving, not parked. She also claimed to have matched Bohl’s speed and paced him for a quarter of a mile.He asked the officer to provide evidence that any of that happened, like dash camera video.“I don’t have a video today, and it is unknown if the camera was working at that time,” Officer Reinert said.Ultimately, the court took the officer at her word, finding Bohl guilty.Despite hitting roadblocks at every turn, Bohl tried once more. This time, with Reinert’s employer, the CHP.“I wanted to file a complaint to let them know this officer should not be wearing a uniform, doesn’t deserve to be in the CHP,” Bohl said.In doing so, he had no idea what he had just set in motion.“I wanted to take this case because this is the kind of officer that we need to go after aggressively,” said Frits van der Hoek with the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office.A CHP investigation found that Bohl was right, and he wasn’t the only driver impacted.Out of the roughly 100 citations Reinert issued in 2023, a CHP internal affairs investigation found inconsistencies with more than 50.In the “most egregious cases,” they recommended the DA’s Office bring criminal charges against Reinert.That is how the case eventually landed on van der Hoek’s desk.“I’m a supervising deputy district attorney,” he said.He is also a former police officer.“It’s a hard job. It’s super underappreciated and when I see something like this, it just makes my blood boil,” van der Hoek said.A Grand Jury indicted Reinert on three felony counts of perjury. Then, the DA’s Office filed a complaint alleging an additional three counts.The charges were related to three speeding tickets Reinert issued, including Bohl’s.“So, basically, Officer Reinert was writing traffic tickets for offenses that weren’t committed and then writing notes and providing testimony on that about things that didn’t happen,” van der Hoek said.In investigating Bohl’s complaint, the CHP did find dash camera video of his traffic stop.“This was like night and day,” van der Hoek said of the video.Just as Bohl had told a judge, Reinert was parked in a median when he drove by her.When Reinert did merge onto the highway, the video shows her driving behind Bohl for no more than five seconds before pulling him over.“There’s a huge difference between pacing somebody for a quarter mile and pulling behind them and immediately stopping them,” van der Hoek said.Reinert’s inconsistencies in this case also had consequences for her others.“We had to dismiss a bunch of DUI cases because we no longer had a witness that could competently testify about the case, including at least one where there was a DUI with injuries,” the prosecutor said.Despite the impacts and the evidence, Reinert’s case also came to a screeching halt.“The defense filed a motion for mental health diversion on the basis of a PTSD diagnosis,” van der Hoek said.California’s mental health diversion program allows some charged with crimes to avoid trial and opt for treatment if they have a qualifying diagnosis, like post-traumatic stress disorder.Reinert and her attorney did not respond to KCRA 3 Investigates’ interview requests.However, our investigative team obtained public records that show Reinert argued in court that she had been suffering from severe symptoms of PTSD.Her attorney told a judge that Reinert retired from the CHP in February 2024, about four months after Bohl filed his complaint against her. Defense Attorney Jim Granucci said Reinert was also diagnosed with PTSD in 2024 although her psychiatrist said Reinert was suffering from it even back during the times of the alleged crimes.“Her post-traumatic stress disorder was untreated,” her attorney explained.In addition, Granucci said that Reinert did not purposely lie. She would have had no reason to do so. There was nothing to gain, her attorney said.“On three tickets, she made mistakes,” he said.In December 2025, Yolo County Superior Court Judge Sonia Cortés granted Reinert’s request for mental health diversion although she described it as a “very difficult decision.”“Ms. Reinert is accused of committing offenses while she was on duty, and that does concern the court greatly because she did hold a position of authority, of public trust,” Judge Cortés said. “It goes to the core of our criminal justice system that those that are entrusted to enforce the laws do not abuse their power, and that the public have confidence in the system because, fundamentally, it is about our rule of law.”Still, she ruled that Reinert is eligible and suitable for mental health diversion according to the law.For the next two years, Reinert will have to complete the conditions of her diversion, which include regularly going to therapy, taking any prescribed medication, completing 240 hours of community service and writing apology letters to her alleged victims.If she successfully completes the program, then her perjury case will be dismissed.“Does it feel like justice?” KCRA 3 Investigates’ Lysée Mitri asked Bohl.“No, not at all,” he said.Still, Bohl said that it was worth staying the course and filing a complaint.“If you believe you’re innocent, fight for yourself,” Bohl said.Based on CHP’s findings, the court reimbursed Bohl and reversed its decision on his speeding ticket. Reinert retired from the CHP in 2024, but her law enforcement certification through the state was still active when KCRA 3 Investigates checked with the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) last month. POST said it had not yet made a determination as her case was still under review.An officer being dishonest during the course of an investigation is typically grounds for getting a certification revokedWhen KCRA 3 Investigates checked in again on Friday, POST said Reinert voluntarily surrendered her certification on Feb. 12, 2026. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
YOLO COUNTY, Calif. —
A now-retired California Highway Patrol officer was charged with lying under oath about several traffic stops.
Prosecutors said that there is video to prove it, but it is evidence that a jury will not get to see.
Instead, former Officer Michelle Reinert, who faced a maximum prison time of roughly 24 years, is allowed to do therapy for two.
KCRA 3 Investigates takes a closer look at why, even though prosecutors say the evidence is “overwhelming,” this case will not go to trial.
“We are here as part of a criminal interview with Officer Michelle Reinert,” a CHP sergeant explained in an audio recording before giving a Miranda warning.
“Having these rights in mind do you wish to talk to us now?” he asked.
Reinert paused for 10 seconds before hesitantly responding, “No.”
“Do you have any questions for us?” she was asked.
“I have no idea what’s going on, so I don’t even know what I’m supposed to ask,” Reinert said.
It’s been nearly three years, but Scott Bohl said he remembers it clearly.
“I was driving south on I-5 in Yolo County,” he said. “Saturday morning, Memorial weekend, and I know the CHP is out in force during holiday weekends.”
So, he wasn’t surprised to see an officer parked ahead under an overpass. He was surprised, however, when that officer pulled him over.
“She said she clocked me doing 86 miles an hour. I told her I wasn’t speeding,” Bohl said.
For the first time in his life, he said, he got a traffic ticket.
“For no reason whatsoever, she singled me out,” he said.
The ticket came with a $274 fine, and a point on his driving record that would cause his car insurance to go up.
“It hurts when you’re on social security, and that’s your sole income,” Bohl said.
He went to court via Zoom to fight it. That is when he learned that, under oath, Officer Reinert’s description of that day was very different.
“As I was traveling southbound, I observed a vehicle ahead of my location when I was traveling about 80 miles per hour,” she told the judge. “The vehicle was directly in front of my patrol vehicle in the number two lane.”
At this point, Bohl started waving to get the judge’s attention.
“The vehicle was about 100 feet ahead of my patrol vehicle, and it was pulling away as I was 80 miles per hour. I accelerated up to 85, and then the vehicle was at a steady, even pace with my patrol vehicle in a 70 miles-per-hour traffic zone,” Reinert testified. “At this time, I made a steady pace of the vehicle directly in front of my patrol vehicle 100 feet ahead for approximately a quarter of a mile.”
Again, Bohl began waving, hoping to interject.
“That’s a lie, a total lie,” Bohl told KCRA 3 Investigates, recounting the incident. “My blood pressure must have been through the roof when she started saying that. I just couldn’t believe it. I was shocked.”
The 22-year veteran officer said she was driving, not parked. She also claimed to have matched Bohl’s speed and paced him for a quarter of a mile.
He asked the officer to provide evidence that any of that happened, like dash camera video.
“I don’t have a video today, and it is unknown if the camera was working at that time,” Officer Reinert said.
Ultimately, the court took the officer at her word, finding Bohl guilty.
Despite hitting roadblocks at every turn, Bohl tried once more. This time, with Reinert’s employer, the CHP.
“I wanted to file a complaint to let them know this officer should not be wearing a uniform, doesn’t deserve to be in the CHP,” Bohl said.
In doing so, he had no idea what he had just set in motion.
“I wanted to take this case because this is the kind of officer that we need to go after aggressively,” said Frits van der Hoek with the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office.
A CHP investigation found that Bohl was right, and he wasn’t the only driver impacted.
Out of the roughly 100 citations Reinert issued in 2023, a CHP internal affairs investigation found inconsistencies with more than 50.
In the “most egregious cases,” they recommended the DA’s Office bring criminal charges against Reinert.
That is how the case eventually landed on van der Hoek’s desk.
“I’m a supervising deputy district attorney,” he said.
He is also a former police officer.
“It’s a hard job. It’s super underappreciated and when I see something like this, it just makes my blood boil,” van der Hoek said.
A Grand Jury indicted Reinert on three felony counts of perjury. Then, the DA’s Office filed a complaint alleging an additional three counts.
The charges were related to three speeding tickets Reinert issued, including Bohl’s.
“So, basically, Officer Reinert was writing traffic tickets for offenses that weren’t committed and then writing notes and providing testimony on that about things that didn’t happen,” van der Hoek said.
In investigating Bohl’s complaint, the CHP did find dash camera video of his traffic stop.
“This was like night and day,” van der Hoek said of the video.
Just as Bohl had told a judge, Reinert was parked in a median when he drove by her.
When Reinert did merge onto the highway, the video shows her driving behind Bohl for no more than five seconds before pulling him over.
“There’s a huge difference between pacing somebody for a quarter mile and pulling behind them and immediately stopping them,” van der Hoek said.
Reinert’s inconsistencies in this case also had consequences for her others.
“We had to dismiss a bunch of DUI cases because we no longer had a witness that could competently testify about the case, including at least one where there was a DUI with injuries,” the prosecutor said.
Despite the impacts and the evidence, Reinert’s case also came to a screeching halt.
“The defense filed a motion for mental health diversion on the basis of a PTSD diagnosis,” van der Hoek said.
California’s mental health diversion program allows some charged with crimes to avoid trial and opt for treatment if they have a qualifying diagnosis, like post-traumatic stress disorder.
Reinert and her attorney did not respond to KCRA 3 Investigates’ interview requests.
However, our investigative team obtained public records that show Reinert argued in court that she had been suffering from severe symptoms of PTSD.
Her attorney told a judge that Reinert retired from the CHP in February 2024, about four months after Bohl filed his complaint against her.
Defense Attorney Jim Granucci said Reinert was also diagnosed with PTSD in 2024 although her psychiatrist said Reinert was suffering from it even back during the times of the alleged crimes.
“Her post-traumatic stress disorder was untreated,” her attorney explained.
In addition, Granucci said that Reinert did not purposely lie. She would have had no reason to do so. There was nothing to gain, her attorney said.
“On three tickets, she made mistakes,” he said.
In December 2025, Yolo County Superior Court Judge Sonia Cortés granted Reinert’s request for mental health diversion although she described it as a “very difficult decision.”
“Ms. Reinert is accused of committing offenses while she was on duty, and that does concern the court greatly because she did hold a position of authority, of public trust,” Judge Cortés said. “It goes to the core of our criminal justice system that those that are entrusted to enforce the laws do not abuse their power, and that the public have confidence in the system because, fundamentally, it is about our rule of law.”
Still, she ruled that Reinert is eligible and suitable for mental health diversion according to the law.
For the next two years, Reinert will have to complete the conditions of her diversion, which include regularly going to therapy, taking any prescribed medication, completing 240 hours of community service and writing apology letters to her alleged victims.
If she successfully completes the program, then her perjury case will be dismissed.
“Does it feel like justice?” KCRA 3 Investigates’ Lysée Mitri asked Bohl.
“No, not at all,” he said.
Still, Bohl said that it was worth staying the course and filing a complaint.
“If you believe you’re innocent, fight for yourself,” Bohl said.
Based on CHP’s findings, the court reimbursed Bohl and reversed its decision on his speeding ticket.
Reinert retired from the CHP in 2024, but her law enforcement certification through the state was still active when KCRA 3 Investigates checked with the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) last month. POST said it had not yet made a determination as her case was still under review.
An officer being dishonest during the course of an investigation is typically grounds for getting a certification revoked
When KCRA 3 Investigates checked in again on Friday, POST said Reinert voluntarily surrendered her certification on Feb. 12, 2026.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
