San Bernardino County employee Jim Erwin, who assumed the position of new Third District Supervisor Neil Derry’s chief-of-staff on December 1, was arrested at the County Government Center today (March 19), and is being held on $220,000 bail. The arrest stems from ten felony counts, including eight counts of perjury, according to San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos. The investigation into the felony counts for Erwin is the result of the ongoing criminal investigation of former County Assessor Bill Postmus, for whom Erwin had worked as assistant assessor. According to documents issued by the San Bernardino Superior Court, Erwin had allegedly (on or around April 1, 2008) failed to disclose receipt of a Rolex watch, roundtrip airfare on a private jet, overnight lodging, and prostitution and masseuse services. One of the 10 counts against Erwin, age 46, is a false declaration of income. If convicted on all counts, the DA’s office says that Erwin could receive as much as 11 years in state prison. Supervisor Derry’s office did confirm the arrest, but the supervisor was out of the office and unavailable for comment prior to this posting.
