A Vallejo police officer arrested last year on felony domestic violence-related charges that were soon dropped has been terminated from the agency.
Officers received a brief department-wide email Thursday informing them that Ronald Maurice Dupree had been released from the department, sources with knowledge of the matter told Open Vallejo. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal personnel matters.
Dupree did not respond to a request for comment.
Oakland police arrested Dupree on Feb. 14, 2024. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail on charges of inflicting corporal injury on a current or former romantic partner, threats, and stalking. Although initially held without bail, authorities released Dupree without charges the day after his arrest.
The alleged victim, Dupree’s ex-girlfriend, told Oakland police that she reported his conduct to Vallejo police, who told her they would “look into it,” according to the East Bay Times. She later received a text message from a burner application stating, “I hope calling Ronnie job finally ran him away from you” and “you should have died a long time ago,” the newspaper reported.
Dupree joined the Vallejo Police Department in October 2020, left briefly to join the Napa Police Department, then returned to Vallejo, earning multiple commendations.
Vallejo police spokesperson Sgt. Rashad Hollis declined to comment on Dupree’s termination.
Over the past 20 years, firings have remained rare at the Vallejo Police Department — and successful ones rarer still. The latter include Ofc. Chase Calhoun, who was fired in 2013 for alleged on-duty sexual encounters, Ofc. Ryan McMahon, fired in 2020 for allegedly endangering another officer during a shooting, and Capt. John Whitney, who was fired in 2019 after raising concerns about officers bending the tips of their badges to commemorate police shootings and other alleged misconduct; he settled a whistleblower lawsuit against the city for $900,000 in 2023.
Other officers who have been fired eventually won their jobs back. They include Lt. Michael Nichelini, who was fired for sending a threatening email to a journalist and other alleged misconduct, Det. Jarrett Tonn, who was fired over the 2020 killing of Sean Monterrosa, and Lt. Herman Robinson, who was fired after he forwarded five emails to Whitney when he was no longer with the department. All three officers were terminated in 2021.
The city did not state a reason for Dupree’s termination, sources said. However, as a probationary employee, he enjoyed fewer protections than officers who have earned a permanent position with the department.
