Court records show former officer charged with weapons violations was convicted last year of drunk driving

A search of court records Tuesday found that a former Long Beach police officer charged with felony weapons violations was convicted in 2009 of drunk driving.

Matthew Gjersvold, 42, appeared at the Long Beach Superior Court Monday morning for a preliminary hearing setting, which was tentatively postponed until late June.

An evaluation was also ordered by the court Monday to determine whether Gjersvold, who last worked for the LBPD in November of 2008, would be fit for trial.

His bail, meanwhile, was set at a staggering $3 million.

A search of Los Angeles Superior Court files found Gjersvold was charged with one count of  driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and two counts of driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 percent or greater. The first count was dismissed but that latter two counts resulted in a conviction.

Court records also showed a misdemeanor count of vandalism for damage less than $400 stemming from his current legal woes was filed at the Long Beach Courthouse on Feb. 24, followed by the March 8 filing of weapons violations.

Gjersvold was arrested by the Long Beach Police Department on March 1 in Cypress after the department received a complaint of vandalism and launched an investigation, according to police.

He was was initially booked on $40,000 bail and, after posting bond, appeared out of custody at the Long Beach Superior Court on March 12 for his arraignment.

When additional information came forward at his court appearance, Gjersvold was remanded to custody and his bail was hiked to $3 million.

The police department declined to release details about the initial incident that resulted in the complaint and arrest, deferring those questions to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

DA Spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons confirmed Monday that Gjersvold was charged with three felony counts, one count of possession of a deadly weapon and two counts of possession of assault weapons.

Gibbons could not access court files to determine what incident the charge stemmed from and the filing DA was not available Tuesday and not expected to return until April 5.

Upon Gjersvold's initial arrest he was booked into the Signal Hill Jail due to his status as a former Long Beach police officer and also because he has a relative who works for the LBPD.

At the time of his second arrest he was taken into custody by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at the Long Beach Courthouse, and remains in Sheriff's custody.

He is due to return to the Long Beach Superior Court on June 29 in Dept. 3.