Charged Ex-Fire Chief at CA University Asks for Mental Health Diversion

Former UC Davis Fire Chief Nathan Jon Trauernicht, who is accused of embezzlement, is asking a Yolo Superior Court judge to suspend his criminal case and place him in a mental health diversion program.

Attorneys argued in court Thursday morning over Trauernicht’s request for the diversion program, which could result in the dismissal of his felony charge for the alleged crime.

Last year, a Yolo County criminal grand jury indicted Trauernicht on a charge of misappropriating public funds while working for the University of California, Davis. He resigned from his campus job two months before he was indicted. He has pleaded not guilty to that charge.

The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office filed a felony charge of misappropriating public money against Meagan Emily McFadden, who worked for Trauernicht as an executive assistant for more than four years before she left her job at UC Davis in January 2024.

McFadden, 35, faces an additional charge of perjury. In the filed criminal complaint against McFadden, prosecutors alleged she took an oath to testify truthfully for the grand jury and provided statements she “knew to be false.” She has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.

Trauernicht, 46, was the UC Davis fire chief for nearly 13 years before he resigned eight months after McFadden left the fire department. Trauernicht was not in court Thursday. He attended the hearing via an online video teleconferencing call.

Prosecutor alleges ‘creepy behavior’ at work

Deputy District Attorney Frits Van der Hoek, who is prosecuting Trauernicht, told the judge that the defendant displayed “creepy behavior” in the workplace and approved numerous fraudulent paychecks for McFadden, an employee with whom he was seeking a romantic relationship.

“And the evidence is really clear in that he has a romantic interest in Ms. McFadden,” Van der Hoek said. “He is pursuing her. He’s trying to invite himself over to her house. He’s taking her out to dinner. He’s going on special outings with her. He’s doing all sorts of things to try and form a romantic relationship with her.”

The prosecutor said Trauernicht, when he failed to form a romantic relationship with McFadden, formed a romantic relationship with another female subordinate. Van der Hoek told the judge that relationship was ultimately exposed, and a search of his phone revealed Trauernicht’s sexual behavior with the other female employee at the fire station.

Steven Plesser, Trauernicht’s attorney, argued that the prosecutor was presenting his theory of a perceived motive behind the alleged embezzlement, which is largely based on testimony from McFadden who is accused of perjury.

The defense attorney told the judge that his client has no previous criminal history and has led a life of community service. Plesser said Trauernicht suffered from multiple diagnosed disorders that contributed to the alleged offense, including post-traumatic stress disorder that went “largely unrecognized and untreated” until last year.

“I believe he’s exactly who this ( California) Legislature intended the (diversion program) for,” Plesser said. “With no threat of violence or danger to the community, someone with an ability to follow rules, a willingness to follow rules. And the state Legislature stated they have a strong preference for treatment of mental health disorders because of the benefits of such treatment.”

The prosecutor argued that Trauernicht, who received outstanding performance evaluations at work, is claiming to suffer from PTSD and anxiety disorder that caused him to have a lapse in his duties while on the job.

“When I say a lapse, it’s lapse after lapse after lapse for a period of years,” Van der Hoek said. “It’s not as if there’s a momentary distraction... This is paycheck after paycheck for well over a year, close to two years, of false payments that he’s authorizing to go to Ms. McFadden.”

The prosecutor said there’s evidence of Trauernicht’s “creepy behavior” toward McFadden in text messages she sent to her friends describing his behavior.

Diversion program could dismiss criminal case

Plesser has filed a motion that asks the court to place Trauernicht in a mental health diversion program. If the judge grants the motion, Trauernicht would be ordered to receive mental health treatment.

The judge would then schedule court dates to track Trauernicht’s progress in treatment. If Trauernicht “performs satisfactorily in diversion,” the judge would dismiss the defendant’s charges, according to California law. Since Trauernicht faces a felony charge, he would have two years to complete the program.

If the judge denies the defense motion, the court would then move toward scheduling Trauernicht’s trial. The grand jury indictment means the former fire chief’s criminal case skips the preliminary hearing phase and moves directly to trial.

Judge Paul Richardson said he will return with his ruling on the defense motion in a Nov. 10 hearing.

UC Davis salaries and total pay

While their cases are related, Trauernicht and McFadden are being prosecuted separately. McFadden is scheduled to return to court Oct. 27, when she’s expected to resolve her case by entering a new plea.

UC Davis officials have said Trauernicht began working for the UC Davis Fire Department in April 2008 and resigned Oct. 1, 2024. McFadden worked as an executive assistant at the department from Nov. 18, 2019, through Jan. 30, 2024.

The UC Davis Fire Department serves a campus community with more than 40,000 people.

Trauernicht at UC Davis had a base salary of $214,489 in 2022, and his total of pay and benefits that year was $240,663, according to compensation records provided by the state to Transparent California. The following year his base salary was $224,240 and his total of pay and benefits was $241,247.

Transparent California records show McFadden had a base salary of $57,757 in 2022, and her total of pay and benefits that year was $96,316. The following year her base salary was $61,482 and her total of pay and benefits was $88,939.

The Davis Enterprise reported that UC Davis police affidavits alleged McFadden received more than $42,000 in overtime pay as a result of falsified timesheets approved by Trauernicht, in which she claimed to work a 20-hour shift 76 times.

©2025 The Sacramento Bee. Visit sacbee.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.