Fresno Police Officer Being Investigated For Date Rape Allegations

FRESNO – The Fresno Sheriff’s Department is investigating a Fresno police officer who has been accused of date rape.

The allegations came to light on Thursday thanks to a search warrant that was made public in Fresno County Superior Court. The officer in question, 34-year-old William Wyatt, has been on paid leave from the Fresno Police Department since the search warrant was served on Jan. 20. He has yet to be charged with a crime, but his badge and weapon were taken away from him.

Wyatt was a Reedley police officer before getting a job with the Fresno Police Department in 2003. According to the search warrant, the victim of the alleged date rape was a female Reedley police officer.

The incident took place in August 2010 when the woman, Wyatt, and two of his friends went to Club Habanos in Fresno for drinks. The woman remembered going to the bar, but was unable to remember anything after that because of heavy alcohol consumption.

The woman woke up the next morning in Wyatt’s bedroom wearing sweats and a t-shirt that didn’t belong to her, according to an affidavit by sheriff’s detective Andrea McCormick. The woman asked Wyatt what happened and he told her that she had passed out and he had gone out to a restaurant. The woman didn’t think anything about it and just asked Wyatt to take her home, McCormick wrote.

On Jan. 18 of this year, the victim received a call from Wyatt’s girlfriend saying that she had found pornographic images of her on Wyatt’s computer. The pictures appeared to be of the victim passed out while Wyatt had sex with her, according to the search warrant.

The victim “does not remember having sex with the officer,” McCormick wrote. Further, the woman does not believe that she could have consented to the activity because of how much alcohol she had consumed.

Reedley’s police of chief called Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer in January to tell him about the accusations. The Sheriff’s Department began investigating the incident and seized several computers and an iPhone during their search of Wyatt’s residence. According to McCormick, detectives found 36 images of the victim on Wyatt’s computer, 20 of which show the victim naked and lying on the bed.

The District Attorney is reviewing the case against Wyatt.

Read More:

Fresno Bee: Fresno Police Officer Under Investigation for Date Rape Allegation

Mercury News: Fresno Cop on Leave Over Rape of Reedley Officer

KMJNow: Officer Under Investigation for Alleged Date Rape