SAN BERNARDINO – A former San Bernardino police officer, arrested in Texas on civil rights violations, was formally indicted last week.
Jose Jesus Perez, 46, who is charged with aggravated sexual abuse and attempted sexual abuse among other charges, is expected to be extradited and to appear in a California court again this week, according to authorities. He was taken into custody in Denton, Texas.
Perez was arrested by police in Denton Texas, which is just north of Dallas.
Perez, a former Los Angeles police officer who came to San Bernardino in 2008, is charged with forcing two prostitutes into performing sexual acts while he was in uniform.
The U.S. Attorney’s office was part of the indictment process against Perez, who last resided in Menifee. Along with the sexual abuse charges, he also faces charges for the use, and threatening the use, of a weapon, along with kidnapping and attempted kidnapping.
In a prepared release, U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr. said, “The charges in this case describe disgraceful abuses of police authority that simply cannot be tolerated in our society. The San Bernardino Police Department understands that this type of conduct deserves sure and swift action, and I thank them for promptly referring the matter to us and working with us to obtain this indictment.”
Reports are that Perez groped a woman and forced her into oral sex on April 25, 2011. He apparently used his service weapon in the attack, which has been constituted as aggravated sexual abuse. Police believe that two women were forced to have sex with Perez, whose law enforcement career began in 1997 with LAPD. Both victims told police they feared for their safety and gave in to Perez’s demands. All of the alleged crimes occurred in 2011, said police.
Authorities are saying that charges against Perez, who faces four life terms in federal prison, will be heightened because he was acting “under color of law,” a term used in the indictment.
San Bernardino Police Dept. officials said the investigation against Perez began quickly after receiving an initial report in July 2012. Perez was terminated last December as the criminal investigation took place.
Read More:
Redlands-Loma Linda Patch: Feds Accuse Former Inland Empire Cop of Forcing Prostitutes To Have Sex
The Sun: Feds arrest ex-San Bernardino police officer for suspected sex crimes while on duty
Press Enterprise: Ex-SBPD officer indicted in sex case
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