Former Corrections Officer Faces 96 Charges for Alleged Sexual Abuse of Female Inmates
Above: Gregory Rodriguez booking photo | Madera County Sheriff’s Office
The Madera County District Attorney’s Office has announced the arrest of a former corrections officer for the alleged sexual abuse of over a dozen female inmates at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla.
According to a press release issued by their office, the District Attorney has charged Gregory Rodriguez, 54, with a total of 96 counts related to the alleged sexual assaults of thirteen inmates. The crimes reportedly date back as far as 2014, but most occurred within the last two years.
Rodriguez was booked on the morning of Wednesday, May 24, and is being held on $7.8 million bond, the DA’s Office said.
District Attorney Sally Moreno told the Fresno Bee that this is the highest number of charges in a sexual assault case that she could recall in at least the last ten years. The Bee also reports that Rodriguez is facing two sexual assault lawsuits by former inmates, and that more are expected in the coming days.
Rodriguez’s 96 counts are reportedly related to 39 individual instances of sexual assault, some of which are being charged in multiple ways. Rodriguez faces a sentence of up to 300 years in prison if convicted.
Jail records show that Rodriguez’s charges include rape by force or fear of immediate injury; rape threatening to use the authority; sexual penetration by means of force, violence, duress, or menace; and sexual penetration under the threat of arrest or deportation.
The District Attorney’s Office is continuing to investigate the possibility that Rodriguez may have committed more crimes. Anyone with information relevant to the investigation is strongly encouraged to contact Sergeant Brown at the California Department of Corrections’ Investigative Services Unit at (559) 975 – 9124.
“These allegations are in no way a reflection of the on the vast majority of correctional officers who act professionally and do their best to make sure prisoners serve their time while remaining safe,” the press release said.
