Ex-Long Beach Police Officer Arrested at Murrieta Apartment

A former Long Beach police officer—who has been in trouble with the law before—remains jailed after he was arrested at his Murrieta apartment Feb. 15 on suspicion of possession of stolen property.

The stolen items allegedly included a Long Beach police identification card and LBPD badge, according to Murrieta police.

Multiple law enforcement agencies began investigating Matthew John Gjersvold, 45, on Feb. 2 when he allegedly visited an inmate at Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning—something that as a convicted felon he was not legally permitted to do, according to arrest records.

“During a Miranda interview with Gjersvold, he admitted to visiting an inmate at Smith jail for approximately 30-45 minutes,” a Riverside County sheriff’s detective wrote in a statement in support of the ex-cop’s arrest.

Gjersvold was dismissed from the Long Beach Police Department in November 2008, according to news reports. He was arrested in March 2010 after the department received a complaint of vandalism and started an investigation.

In December 2010, Gjersvold was convicted of possession of an assault weapon and possession of a deadly weapon. He was sentenced to three years in state prison, but released in October 2012, records show.

When Gjersvold signed in at the jail Feb. 2 to visit his friend, he listed a Murrieta address in the 24300 block of Jackson Avenue.

Murrieta police said they were brought into the case at the request of the Long Beach Police Department.

"Essentially we investigated a possession of stolen property arrest against Mr. Gjersvold," Murrieta police Lt. Tony Conrad wrote in an emailed response to Patch. "Our search warrant and investigation revealed Mr. Gjersvold had in his possession a Long Beach PD ID card and Long Beach police badge. Those items have been recovered and are in our possession as evidence in the case."

Records show Murrieta police also seized computers, an iPhone, a CD and a computer bag from Gjersvold's Jackson Avenue apartment.

Those devices have been turned over to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department to be used in their investigation, according to Conrad.

As of Wednesday, Gjersvold was being held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000 bail, a search of jail records revealed.

He is due to be arraigned March 20 on charges including possession of stolen property, prison prior within five years and being an ex-convict on prison grounds.

News reports also indicated Gjersvold was convicted of DUI in 2009.