Captain Trenton Johnson is in charge of the Ceres Police Department following the sudden departure of Chris Perry as chief of Police.

Perry, who only became police chief a year ago to succeed Rick Collins, was placed on administrative leave on Tuesday, Jan. 28. City Manager Doug Dunford would not disclose what led to the action, citing that it was a personnel matter, but said on Monday that Perry had decided to retire as of yesterday.

“He has chosen to retire and separate from his employment with the city,” said Dunford, who noted that Perry planned to clean out his office as this edition went to press. “And then he’ll be gone. My hands are tied on what I can say.”

Dunford said Perry’s departure was not connected to a lawsuit filed in October against Perry and the city of Ceres by a police detective who accused him of discrimination based on family and/or marital status, sexual harassment and creating a hostile workplace environment.

Perry was present at the Monday, Jan. 27 Ceres City Council meeting but absent during the Tuesday, Jan. 28 Board of Supervisors meeting during Sheriff Jeff Dirkse’s presentation involving Ceres for county dispatching. Instead, Captain Johnson represented the department.

Perry grew up in Ceres where he attended elementary, junior high and high school. He became a Ceres Police explorer scout in 1992 before graduating from Ceres High School in 1994. Perry attended Modesto Junior College and went through the regional Police Academy and found his first sworn officer position with the Atwater Police Department. Ceres Police hired him in May 1997.

Perry was promoted to sergeant rank in 2006, supervising patrol shifts, the canine unit and the dispatch center. Six years later he became the traffic sergeant where he worked motor patrol and supervised the motor unit and Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT).

Acting Chief Johnson was promoted to rank of captain on March 17, 2024. He began as a Ceres Police Explorer in 1993, became a reserve officer in January 1998 and hired as a fulltime sworn officer in August 1998. He worked in detectives, as a SWAT member for 20 years and as a Field Training Officer (FTO). Johnson became a sergeant in June, 2008 and worked as watch commander, SCU sergeant and detective sergeant.

In January, 2023 he was promoted to lieutenant in charge of detectives, code enforcement, SWAT team, Drone Team, Crisis Negotiation Team, Property and Evidence and the armory.

His wife is dispatch center supervisor Tammie Johnson.

Dunford is unsure of the status of the lawsuit filed by Detective Matthew Berlier but said it is proceeding with the city named was one of the defendants.

“As far as I know, nothing has happened with that lawsuit now as far as being dismissed or anything.”

Berlier, hired in 2015 as a Ceres police officer and presently a Crimes against Persons detective, filed suit on Oct. 2 requested a jury trial in Stanislaus County Superior Court. Represented by the law firm of Goyette, Ruano & Thompson of Gold River, Berlier claims that beginning in July 2019 then Lt. Perry began to “systematically and pervasively make derogatory remarks” about his appearance, regularly stating, “You look like sh--” while his attire was the same as other detectives. Berlier claims that when he defended his appearance, Perry remarked, “Yeah, but you still look like sh--.”

Berlier said the disparaging remarks continued until about May 2022 and were usually made while passing each other in the hallway or in the police gym. Perry allegedly making fun of Berlier’s dress and buzz cut, and that he considered that a “clear attack on his identity as a veteran.” Berlier served five years in the Navy as a military police and was deployed to Iraq and the Middle East during Operation of Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

The suit also alleges that Perry would make inappropriate remarks about his own wife on regular occasions and express sexual desires for younger women. Berlier said that he endured “extreme stress” and feared retaliation if he reported the alleged misconduct.

Berlier claims he was passed up for a sergeant promotion even after ranking the first among nine applicants on a promotional exam and receiving a stellar employee evaluation. His suit claims that Perry laughed after breaking the news to him on the phone and saying, “I hope I didn’t ruin your vacation.” After Aaron Pinon and Matthew Vierra received the promotions, the court filing states others in the police management team confronted Perry about passing over Berlier. They were told that Berlier was not promoted on the basis of Berlier’s marital issues being disruptive to the department. Berlier’s attorneys, however, said that despite some brief marital problems in 2023, Berlier and his wife remain “happily married.”

The court filing noted that two presidents of the Ceres Police Officers Association addressed multiple concerns about Perry’s leadership on behalf of its members and that Perry opined that many of the police department’s problems were caused by Berlier being upset that he wasn’t promoted. The document alleges that Perry threatened to “initiate, willy-nilly in a weaponized manner, an internal affairs investigation against plaintiff despite having no cause, citizen complaint or other legitimate and lawful means to commence an internal administrative investigation against plaintiff.”