HUGHSON, Calif. – A 30-year-old deputy with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office has been arrested on suspicion of multiple sexual assaults, kidnapping and solicitation of prostitution, according to a report by KCRA.
Deputy Israel Morales, of Hughson, was booked into the Stanislaus County Jail Tuesday and is being held on $1.3 million bail. According to the sheriff’s office website, Morales has been on modified duty and stripped of his peace officer powers since May 6.
The investigation began in March, after an anonymous source informed a Hughson Police Services deputy that a sheriff’s deputy had engaged in “sexual acts with women” while on duty, KCRA reported.
The Modesto Bee noted that Morales was arrested at work. The sheriff’s office did not immediately remove him from duty as investigators worked to confirm the allegations. A spokesperson for the department said, “Our goal at that point was to validate that those facts were in fact correct.”
The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office was aware of the investigation, which was conducted jointly with the sheriff’s office, according to a spokesperson.
In a statement posted to the department’s Facebook page, the sheriff’s office said Morales currently faces multiple charges, including two felony counts of forced oral copulation by a public official involving two adult female victims, one felony count of oral copulation by force involving an adult female, one felony count of forced oral copulation during the commission of an aggravated kidnapping, one felony count of aggravated kidnapping involving one adult female, and multiple counts of solicitation of prostitution.
Morales has been employed by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office since June 2018. The department said in its statement, “The actions detailed in this case represent a serious breach of public trust and are completely contrary to the values and professional standards upheld by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office.”
Officials encouraged anyone with additional information to contact Detective Jorge Perez at (209) 567-4466 or to report anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-866-60-CRIME.
According to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office and KCRA, the case has been referred to the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office, which plans to file formal charges by Thursday.
