UPDATE, MAY 16, 5:11 P.M.: Orange County Sheriff's Department jail cook James Arroyo was convicted today of sexually assaulting two female inmates under the 54-year-old
Fullerton resident's supervision.
Arroyo pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of sexual
battery on one woman and two misdemeanor counts of battery and one
misdemeanor count of being a detention facility employee attempting
sexual activity with a confined consenting adult for the second.
His sentence after the jump . . .
]
Arroyo
was sentenced to 270 days in jail, five years of formal probation,
and sex offender registration.
Based on the original charges, he could have been cooking in the jail kithcen as an inmate for up to three years
and six months.
UPDATE, MARCH 4, 10:02 A.M.: Fifty-four-year-old James Arroyo of Fullerton could go from being an Orange County jail cook to inmate for allegedly getting touchy-feely with two women behind bars.
In a statement on Arroyo's charges (after the jump), the Orange County District Attorney's office announces he could get up to three years
and six months in jail and have to register as a sex offender if convicted.
But that is just for the current counts. Prosecutors are also reaching out to the public in case Arroyo victimized others during his six years working at the jail. He is alleged to have kept in contact with many female inmates and possessing nude photos of some of them on his cell phone.
March 3, 2011
OCSD JAIL COOK CHARGED WITH SEXUALLY ASSAULTING TWO FEMALE INMATES WHO WORKED FOR HIMSANTA ANA – An Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) jail cook has
been charged with sexually assaulting two female inmates who worked
under his supervision in the kitchen of the Orange County jail. James
Arroyo, 54, of Fullerton, is charged with one misdemeanor count each of
sexual battery and being a detention facility employee engaging in
sexual activity with a confined consenting adult for Jane Doe number 1. For
Jane Doe number 2, he is charged with two misdemeanor counts each of assault
and battery, one misdemeanor count of being a detention facility
employee engaging in sexual activity with a confined consenting adult,
and one misdemeanor count of being a detention facility employee
attempting sexual activity with a confined consenting adult. If
convicted on all counts, Arroyo faces a maximum sentence of three years
and six months in jail and sex offender registration. The defendant is
currently out of custody on $25,000 bail. The People will be requesting
Arroyo is scheduled to be arraigned March 14, 2011, at theCentral
Justice Center in Santa Ana. The time and department are to be
determined.
At the time of the crime, Arroyo was a non-sworn employee of the Orange
County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) and worked as a cook in the Orange
County Jail. Several female inmates worked under his supervision.
Jane Doe number 1
For several months prior to February 2011, Arroyo is accused of
violating his position of power and authority by frequently harassing
47-year-old inmate Jane Doe number 1 while she was working in the jail
kitchen. This is a sought-after position for inmates and a privilege.
He is accused of pestering her multiple times every day by asking to
touch and see her breasts. The victim said “No,” every time but did not
report the harassment for fear that she would lose her job in the
kitchen.On Feb. 12, 2011, Arroyo is accused of following Jane Doe number 1 into a
storage closet and blocking the doorway. He is accused of continuing to
harass the victim by asking her again to touch her breasts. The trapped,
intimidated victim replied, “Just do it.” Arroyo is accused of
squeezing Jane Doe number 1's breasts twice before she rushed out of the
closet. Following the sexual assault, Arroyo is accused of continuing to
repeatedly asking the victim to show him her breasts and allow him to
touch them.
Over the next two days, Jane Doe number 1 was shaking, appeared distraught and
ill, and was afraid to go to work or the restroom alone. On Feb. 14,
2011, Jane Doe number 1 disclosed the assault to OCSD, who immediately began
investigating the case.
Jane Doe number 2
For several weeks prior to February 2011, Arroyo is accused of violating
his position of power and authority and constantly harassing
23-year-old inmate Jane Doe number 2 while she was working in the jail
kitchen. He is accused of repeatedly pestering her by complimenting her
lips and asking to kiss her. The victim said “No,” every time but did
not report the harassment for fear that no one would believe her. On
multiple occasions, Arroyo is accused of intentionally brushing his arms
and hands against her breasts while pretending it was unintentional in
the course of kitchen work.
In early February 2011, Arroyo is accused of cornering the victim in a
storage room and blocking her ability to exit by standing in the
doorway. He is accused of continuing to harass the victim by asking her
again to kiss her. The trapped, intimidated victim complied with a quick
kiss on the lips before pushing her way past him and rushing out of the
room.
Over the next several days, Arroyo is accused of repeatedly asking the
victim for a longer kiss and escalating his harassment by requesting
that she pull down her pants to show her vagina. The victim reported the
sexual assault to OCSD on Feb. 14, 2011.
Request for Public Information
The defendant is accused of having inappropriate relationship with other
female inmates and providing them with favors including snacks and jail
account funds. He is accused of maintaining contact with multiple
female inmates and possessing nude photographs of them sent to him on
his cell phone after their release from jail.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information or who
believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact Supervising
District Attorney Investigator Anthony Sosnowski at (714) 347-8814.
Senior Deputy District Attorney
Aleta Bryant of the Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting this case.
ORIGINAL POST, FEB. 16, 10:02 A.M.: Orange County jail cook James Arroyo was arrested for allegedly touching the breasts of a female inmate.
The woman, whom Arroyo was supervising in the Intake/Release Center kitchen Monday, reached up for something on a top pantry shelf when the cook is said to have moved in for a feel.
Further investigation revealed the six-year Orange County Sheriff's Department employee allegedly had photos of female inmates on his cell phone, kept in contact with some who'd been released and put money in the accounts of women behind bars at the jail at 550 N. Flower St., Santa Ana.
Arroyo was booked on suspicion of sexual battery and released after posting bail. The sheriff's office has also placed him on administrative leave.
The worst part of this sad tale is that melons are not in season.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.