California probation officer has oral sex with teen inmate; county jail rocked by scandal: DA
The law enforcement community in Alameda County, Calif., was rocked by two scandals that resulted in criminal charges against three of its officers last week.
A probation officer was charged with sexually abusing a minor inmate at a juvenile facility years ago, and two sheriff’s deputies were charged with covering up a 2021 suicide at a county jail, according to criminal charges filed Friday.
The alleged cover-up of an inmate’s suicide occurred at the same jail where an inmate died last month after drinking “a copious amount of water”, the county sheriff’s office said.
Probation officer Nicole Perales, 50, was in a “position of trust” when she allegedly had oral sex with a 15-year-old inmate between Aug. 27, 2004 and Aug. 26, 2005, according to Alameda. County Attorney’s Office.
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The chief prosecutor has filed multiple criminal charges against the 20-year veteran of the probation service, who could spend nearly four years in prison and be required to register as a sex offender if convicted.
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The DA also accused two Alameda County sheriff’s deputies — Sheri Baughman, 49, and Amanda Bracamontes, 30 — of allegedly falsifying records to cover up their alleged negligence in Vinetta Martin’s apparent suicide at the jail. of Santa Rita in 2021.
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The two deputies are accused of falsifying logbooks to make it look like they went through the procedure of direct visual observation of a suicidal inmate after Martin, 32, told prison staff that she was planning to kill herself three weeks before her death.
On April 3, 2021, Martin was found “unconscious and slumped on the floor” of her jail cell, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price said Friday in a statement announcing the charges.
The logs did not match video evidence, which allegedly showed deputies “repeatedly” failed to check on Martin for “extended periods,” up to an hour and 47 minutes, the district attorney said.
They were supposed to make eye contact every 30 minutes, according to the DA.
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Martin was originally charged with assault and had been in custody since July 2020 awaiting evaluation and transfer to the Napa State Hospitals Department, court records show.
The court declared a doubt as to his capacity to stand trial and suspended the criminal proceedings.
Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez said in a statement after the charges were announced on Friday that it was “obviously a difficult day for many reasons.”
“Any life lost in Santa Rita prison is one too many,” Sanchez said. “Deputies Bracamontes and Baughman are entitled to due process, just like anyone else in the community.
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“The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office has been cooperating with District Attorney Price’s office in this investigation and will continue to do so in the future.”
The felony charges against the three county officers were filed by the Alameda County Public Accountability Unit, which Price created in January under the Office of Civil Rights.
Santa Rita prison was mired in controversy on April 27, when an unidentified 26-year-old inmate died. And the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement to FOX 2 San Francisco that the prisoner drank an “abundance of water” and was vomiting the morning of his death.
Due to vomiting, the prisoner was taken to an outpatient medical accommodation unit. He told staff upon admission that he had taken a controlled substance the day before his arrest.
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A deputy checked it at 3:25 p.m. and found that the inmate was unresponsive. Despite rescue efforts by paramedics, he was pronounced dead at 4:05 p.m.
“Despite his admitted drug use, there was no cause for concern during the medical and mental health admissions process,” the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said in previous statements.
Meanwhile, Price has pushed back against her own critics and fought back protesters, who claim she’s too soft on crime, particularly after the murder of toddler Jasper Wu, who was killed in the crossfire of a gang shooting on a public road.
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Critics say Price was looking for a way to punish the suspects without jail time.
Price responded by saying in a video posted in April, “We haven’t made a decision on which charges to pursue or not to pursue. We are still reviewing the matter.”
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Earlier this month, Danielle Hilton, a 26-year veteran of the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, resigned and ripped Price in her resignation letter posted on Twitter.
“Victims deserve better,” Hilton wrote. “Under your direction, the District Attorney’s Office has turned away from advocating for victims who have been devastated by violent crimes. … Under your direction, I do not believe I can ethically and adequately perform my duties as a prosecutor.”
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Price’s critics launched an online petition calling for his recall, which garnered more than 14,000 signatures by mid-April.
Price and his supporters fought back and staged a rally on the steps of the Alameda County Courthouse.
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