Home » Santa Clarita News » Valencia Man, Former Palmdale Deputy Due Back For Hearing On Rape Charge

Valencia Man, Former Palmdale Deputy Due Back For Hearing On Rape Charge

A Valencia man who was a deputy for the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station is due back in court next month on rape and bribery charges.


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Jose Rigoberto Sanchez, 28, of Valencia, was arrested and booked at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station on July 30.

He stands accused of sexual penetration under the color of authority, rape under fear or duress and soliciting a bribe from alleged victims.

Sanchez is due back for a preliminary hearing setting Oct. 10.

At a preliminary hearing, a judge will determine whether there is enough evidence to hold Sanchez to stand trial for the charges.

Prosecutors, who have asked that Sanchez be held on more than $1.4 million bail, allege that the crimes took place while Sanchez was on duty several years ago.

After an extensive investigation by the District Attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division, Sanchez was charged with soliciting a bribe from a female driver he pulled over in Palmdale while on duty on Sept. 22, 2010. Sanchez allegedly offered not to arrest her on an outstanding warrant in exchange for sex.

Two nights later, he pulled over another female on suspicion of DUI and allegedly solicited a bribe in the form of sexual activity.

Sanchez, a seven-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was most recently assigned to patrol at the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station.

The six-month ICIB investigation into the 2010 incident began after investigators received a tip from an informant, according to a Sheriff’s Department statement.

The case was turned over to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office in January of 2011.

“The sheriff takes it very seriously,” Whitmore said. “We were the ones who instigated the investigation. We pursued it aggressively because it was a heinous act.”

Sanchez was relieved of duty with pay after the alleged incident in 2010, and was relieved of duty without pay when he was booked.

Sanchez is being held for 11 felony charges.

The case is being prosecuted by deputy district attorney Rosa Alarcon.


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Valencia Man, Former Palmdale Deputy Due Back For Hearing On Rape Charge

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.