A Santa Barbara police officer charged with insurance fraud was competing in “strongman” contests for at least two years while on paid injury leave, records show. An officer since September 2011, Jacob Finerty, of Newbury Park, began claiming workers’ compensation benefits sometime after June 2013, when he reported he hurt himself while on duty. The nature of the physical injury has not been disclosed. Last year, Finerty collected a base salary of $85,182.78, or $133,619.05 with benefits. He collected a similar amount the year prior.
Finerty, 27, was placed on unpaid leave as soon as the District Attorney’s Office filed its May 24 complaint, Police Chief John Crombach said. In an arraignment on June 24, Finerty stood beside his defense attorney Samantha Swanson as he pleaded not guilty to four felony counts related to filing false workers’ compensation claims. His next hearing date is scheduled for August 8.
A former offensive lineman at Nebraska’s Chadron State College, Finerty was recruited in 2006 out of Hesperia’s Sultana High School by then-head coach Bill O’Boyle. In a phone interview, O’Boyle described Finerty as a “great teammate, [a] great player for us, a guy everyone looked up to.” Chadron is known for its criminal justice and business programs. According to O’Boyle, Finerty succeeded inside and outside the classroom. “He always wanted to be a police officer.”