San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus’ office on Tuesday arrested a deputy on suspicion of felony grand theft.

Deputy Carlos Tapia was arrested on suspicion of felony grand theft by false pretenses. The Sheriff’s Office did not comment further, citing the pending investigation.

Tapia was released on a bond and has been placed on administrative leave, the Sheriff’s Office said. His case will be forwarded to the county District Attorney’s Office for review.

Tapia is the president of the San Mateo County Deputy Sheriff’s Association union.

On Tuesday, the union along with the San Mateo County Organization of Sheriff’s Sergeants condemned Tapia’s arrest, saying it has “all the earmarks of whistleblower retaliation” in the wake of a report also released Tuesday by the county Board of Supervisors compiled by a retired judge that investigated complaints by the union against civilian chief of staff Victor Aenlle.

“The San Mateo DSA condemns acts of retaliation against any San Mateo employee for speaking out against the misconduct of elected officials, and will vigorously defend President Tapia against these allegations.” San Mateo County Deputy Sheriff’s Association statement

Tapia has been a vocal critic of the Sheriff’s Office and its administration.

“This is not a coincidence,” said the deputies’ union, which alleged that Corpus “abused her power and the public trust” by allegedly violating a conflict of interest policy that dictates that the District Attorney’s Office should handle accusations of criminal misconduct by Sheriff’s Office employees. Instead, the union said, she arrested the deputy herself.

“The San Mateo DSA condemns acts of retaliation against any San Mateo employee for speaking out against the misconduct of elected officials, and will vigorously defend President Tapia against these allegations.”

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.