Without a trace
Missing cop's girlfriend placed on leave as authorities run out of leads
By Andre Coleman 02/28/2008
Authorities have searched the murky waters of a local gravel pit in Irwindale for clues in relation to the disappearance of retired Pasadena police Lt. Dave Richter, who has been missing since Christmas, but so far have found nothing.
In a related development, Richter's girlfriend, an assistant to the chief of police, has been placed on paid administrative leave for giving false information related to the case to police in Arcadia, where Richter resides. However, investigators in Arcadia say Noah Beltran, who was an assistant to acting Pasadena Chief Chris Vicino and placed on paid leave on Jan. 8, is not a suspect in Richter's disappearance.
Beltran could not be reached for comment on this story.
Vicino declined to comment except to confirm Beltran had been placed on leave and is currently under internal investigation.
"There was a relationship between Richter and a woman in that department," Arcadia police Sgt. Dean Caputo said of Beltran. "We talked to her, obviously. We had an interview with her and as far we are concerned that is the end of it at this point. She had some information and we got that."
Caputo declined to say what false information Beltran gave investigators. He believes Richter either committed suicide or simply walked away from his life.
Richter, Caputo said, was building a house in Arcadia and was distraught over the progress of the project, according to his friends.
Arcadia police do not suspect foul play.
"We went back and forth and turned up the volume and treated it more like it was suspicious, but the more we look at it and talk to people about his disposition, I think either he did it by choice or committed suicide," Caputo said. By the same token, "He could have on his own gone off somewhere," Caputo said.
Richter, a 30-year veteran of the Pasadena Police Department who retired in 2005, disappeared days prior to Christmas. He was last seen by a friend on Dec. 21. His father reported him missing on Dec. 27.
Also missing was his 2007 Lexus RX 350. Richter owned a 1993 Honda Accord, which investigators found parked in his garage. The Lexus was later found parked in Irwindale. Bloodhounds led police to a deep body of water in an abandoned gravel pit less than a mile away.
Divers from the FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department explored the pit, but due to low visibility in the murky waters (in some areas is more than 100-feet deep), they were unable to conduct a thorough examination. The US Coast Guard is currently using sonar equipment to help in the search.
"We have searched that gravel pit several times," Caputo said. "We have followed up on every lead we have and he has completely disappeared. We have searched several areas we thought he could be. We are still searching for him."
The 55-year-old Richter is 5-feet, 11-inches tall and weighs about 170 pounds. He has blond hair and green eyes. Richter is single and has no children.
Anyone with information is asked to call Sgt. Dean Caputo of the Arcadia Police Department at (626) 574-5163.
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