State regulators have pulled the California law-enforcement certification of a former Oroville police officer after investigators found he left an arrestee on a dark rural road, where she was later hit by a passing car. Former Officer Robert Sasek, whose last day with the Oroville Police Department was Aug. 9, 2024, was added to the state's decertification list in early April 2026. The woman, identified in court records as Dana Marie James, had been left near the Neal Road Recycling and Waste Facility on Sept. 1, 2022, and spent about 35 days in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
According to POST, the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training formally revoked Robert Edward Sasek’s certification effective April 6, 2026. The public entry lists "Abuse of Power" and identifies the Oroville Police Department as his last employer. The online roster is the official record of certification actions and reflects a multi-step review that culminated after an advisory board hearing held last summer.
What happened to Dana James
As reported by The Sacramento Bee, Sasek encountered Dana Marie James on Sept. 1, 2022, after she had earlier been cited and released. Court filings and coverage describe James as incoherent and unable to care for herself. When jail staff refused to book her without medical clearance, Sasek took her to Oroville Hospital, left her in his patrol car, and later drove her about 15½ miles north to Neal Road, where he told her to get out in the dark. She was subsequently struck by a passing vehicle in a hit-and-run and later spent 35 days hospitalized with severe, life-altering injuries.
Settlement and injuries
Local reporting and the lawsuit show the city later agreed to settle James’ federal civil-rights case for $3 million in January 2024, according to the Glenn County Observer. The complaint, as summarized by the outlet, details multiple surgeries, removal of portions of James’ colon and small intestine, lengthy hospitalizations that included seven days in intensive care, and warnings from doctors that she may need a colostomy bag and possible amputation of toes. Her attorney said the settlement should serve as a warning to law-enforcement agencies about the dangers of "dumping" vulnerable people in remote areas.
POST advisory board recommended revocation
Records from the Peace Officer Standards Accountability Advisory Board show the panel reviewed Sasek’s case on July 17, 2025, and voted to recommend revocation to the commission, as reflected in the meeting transcript published by POST. At that hearing, the Division presented its conclusion that clear and convincing evidence supported an allegation of abuse of power tied to the Sept. 1, 2022 incident, and a roll-call vote recorded members voting to recommend decertification. That recommendation pushed the case into the formal commission process that ended with the April posting.
What revocation means under state law
Under California law, Justia reproduces Penal Code section 13510.8, which gives POST authority to suspend or revoke a peace officer’s certification for "serious misconduct," including abuse of power. Decertification bars an officer from serving as a certified peace officer anywhere in California. The statute also sets deadlines for investigations, rules for how long records must be kept, and procedures for appeals or temporary suspensions during review. Changes created by SB 2 and follow-up regulations have widened state oversight and raised the stakes for officers facing misconduct findings across California.
Aftermath and reaction
James’ attorney told The Sacramento Bee that "Ms. James is an incredibly strong woman, and it is a miracle that she survived this ordeal." Personnel records list Sasek’s final day at the Oroville Police Department as Aug. 9, 2024, and the POST revocation now blocks him from serving as a certified peace officer in California unless he manages to prevail in a rare appeal or other legal remedy. Civil-rights lawyers and accountability advocates say the decision shows how state regulators can impose a penalty that sits alongside civil settlements and local disciplinary action.
The posting on the POST roster effectively closes the state’s administrative process, even as the incident has already produced a major civil settlement and drawn broader scrutiny of department practices. For readers who want to see the underlying records, the POST action and the advisory-board transcript remain publicly available on the commission’s site, while court filings and local news reports provide additional detail on the lawsuit and its resolution. Oroville officials and POST did not immediately respond to requests for comment beyond what appears in the public documents.
