A federal grand jury returned a 10-count indictment that was unsealed Friday charging a former Sanger Police Department officer with deprivation of constitutional rights under color of law for sexually assaulting four women with whom he interacted during the course of his duties, officials stated.
According to the indictment, on multiple occasions from August 2017 to June 2021, J. DeShawn Torrence, 38, of Corcoran, California, engaged in various forms of nonconsensual sexual conduct, ranging from directing a victim to remove her clothing without a legitimate law enforcement purpose to forcing his victims to engage in sex acts, all while serving as a police officer.
Torrence is no longer employed by the Sanger Police Department.
If convicted of the charges, Torrence faces up to life in prison,
The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Sacramento Field Office with assistance from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
Special Litigation Counsel Fara Gold of the Criminal Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar are prosecuting the case.