Officer Suspended, Alleged Fight Probed

A Simi Valley policeman has been suspended pending an investigation into charges that he got into a bar fight while off duty, sources familiar with the investigation said Monday.

Kenneth “Bo” Stephenson, 30, was suspended with pay Sunday by Police Chief Randy Adams in connection with an alleged fight that occurred about 2 1/2 months ago, sources said. The encounter with an unidentified man took place outside the Tree House, a Simi Valley bar, they said.

Stephenson, a patrolman who has been with the force seven years, has worked on the narcotics detail and served on anti-gang duty with the Special Enforcement Section. He was out of town Monday and could not be reached for comment.

Adams declined to comment on the suspension and would not confirm or deny that any personnel investigation was underway.

“Whenever there is any allegation of wrongdoing on the department,” he said, “we always investigate [it] thoroughly, and we get all sides of the story . . . before we make any findings of fact.”

Only when the department completes an internal investigation would Adams decide whether to discipline an officer, he said.