Hemet Police Officer Charged with Assault Under Color of Authority Pleads Not Guilty
Above: Jacob Hobson
An officer with the Hemet Police Department is facing multiple assault charges, including assault under the color of authority, after allegedly brutalizing a woman so severely during an arrest that she was hospitalized with a brain injury. He has since pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to a press release by Hemet PD, the incident unfolded on the 1700 block of West Florida Avenue, wherein Officer Jacob Hobson encountered a group of individuals behind a gas station. It was during this encounter that Officer Hobson identified a woman in the group with an existing felony warrant. When the woman initially resisted Hobson’s attempt to place her in handcuffs, Hobson allegedly used force to such a degree that the woman suffered serious injury.
In response, the Hemet Police Department began an investigation soon after the incident. This led to the involvement of the Force Investigations Detail Task Force, a collaborative team comprising investigators from both the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, overseen by the Sheriff’s Office itself. The task force’s mandate is to eliminate any potential bias by ensuring no individual agency leads their own use of force investigation. This approach runs in parallel to the Hemet Police Department’s internal investigation.
On August 17, the District Attorney’s Office filed three felony charges against Officer Hobson: assault with force likely to result in severe bodily harm, and two counts of assault by a peace officer operating under the color of authority. The charges are accompanied by sentencing enhancement allegations due to the significance of the woman’s injuries, including a brain injury likely to leave her permanently paralyzed.
In light of these developments, Officer Hobson has been placed on administrative leave while the Hemet Police Department conducts its internal investigation. Any inquiries relating to the criminal investigation should be directed to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Force Investigation Division or the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
According to court records, Hobson pleaded not guilty at his arraignment this past Monday, August 21.
