Former Deputy Ordered To Stand Trial In Sex Misconduct Scandal
DUBLIN (CBS SF) -- A former Contra Costa County sheriff's deputy was ordered to stand trial Thursday on three charges in connection with a sexual exploitation scandal linked to several Bay Area law enforcement agencies.
Ricardo Perez, 29, will stand trial on a felony charge of oral copulation with a minor and misdemeanor charges of engaging in lewd conduct in public.
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The victim, a teen who worked as a prostitute, was only 17 at the time of an encounter with Perez in July 2015, she testified at the preliminary hearing today in Dublin.
The woman, now 19, is not being named because of her status as an alleged victim of sex trafficking.
She admitted under cross-examination from Perez's attorney that she lied about her age and told the former deputy that she was married with multiple children.
But Alameda County prosecutor Sabrina Farrell said during arguments at the end of the hearing that it was unreasonable for Perez to believe that, based on his interactions with her.
"His only focus was on what she could do for him sexually," Farrell said.
Perez, who remains free from jail on his own recognizance, will return to court on Aug. 10.
He is one of several law enforcement officers, including many from the Oakland Police Department, who have been charged in connection with the sex misconduct scandal.
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