Fire official paid $26,000 in fines

A Newport Beach divisional fire chief racked up more than $26,000 in fines and penalties over a two-year period by using toll roads without a Fastrak transponder and while driving a city vehicle, toll road and city officials confirmed Tuesday.

Paul Matheis, the Fire Department’s Training Division chief, had been using the toll roads to commute in his city-issued vehicle, said Lisa Telles, spokeswoman for the toll road agency that oversees Southern California’s toll roads.

Matheis was unavailable for comment Tuesday. Published reports indicate that Matheis had accumulated many of the fines on the 241 Toll Road, which runs from San Clemente to the 91 Freeway.

The agency sent a letter to Matheis and the city Feb. 5 notifying them about the fines, Telles said. Toll road violators are identified by cameras that take a picture of the vehicle’s license plates, she said.

Matheis paid the fines personally and the issue is resolved from the agency’s side, said Newport Beach spokeswoman Tara Finnigan. However, the city is now investigating whether Matheis was using the Chevy Tahoe in compliance with city policy, Finnigan said.

The city’s vehicle use policy lists three exceptions for when city employees may take city vehicles home: if it’s approved by the city manager, if the employee is typically summoned to work outside of regular hours or if the person’s job involves immediately protecting the public.