Ex-police officer sexually harassed several women while on duty, authorities claim

A former California police officer is facing additional charges for allegedly sexually harassing several women while on duty, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said Thursday.

The Justice Department has charged 40-year-old J. DeShawn Torrence with “sexually assaulting four women under the guise of the law while performing his official duties,” according to a press release. Torrence was a former police officer with the Sanger, California, police department.

Torrence, who was first charged in 2022, will now face new charges involving another victim, the Justice Department said in its press release. (RELATED TOPIC: “Historic”: Ex-police officer convicted of sexually abusing a woman during a traffic stop, faces long prison sentence)

A former police officer from Sanger is now facing new sexual abuse charges after another woman made allegations.https://t.co/U6rCGuoRTp

— FOX26 News (@KMPHFOX26) June 6, 2024

According to the Department of Justice, Torrence sexually abused the women between August 2017 and June 2021 while serving as an officer with the Sanger Police Department (SPD). The sexual assault ranged from “requiring a victim to remove her clothing without a legitimate police reason to coercing his victims to perform sexual acts,” the indictment states.

“Torrence sexually assaulted the other victim after locking her in his patrol vehicle and driving her to a remote location,” the Justice Department alleged.

Torrence is charged with a total of 10 counts. According to the Justice Department, if convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 for each of the five counts, as well as a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the sixth count and one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 for the remaining four counts.

Torrence was sworn in as an SPD official in March 2016 in the presence of his wife and children, the SPD announced at the time in a Facebook post.

The investigation is being led by the FBI’s Sacramento field office and assisted by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the Justice Department statement said.