James Arroyo, an Orange County Sheriff’s Department jail cook, was recently charged with one misdemeanor count of sexual battery and one misdemeanor count of being a detention facility employee engaging in sexual activity with a confined consenting adult against one inmate. He was also charged with misdemeanor counts of assault and battery as well as one misdemeanor count of being a detention facility employee engaging in sexual activity with a confined consenting adult and one misdemeanor count of being a detention facility employee attempting sexual activity with a confined consenting adult.

       Prosecutors argued that Arroyo forced one female inmate to let him squeeze her breast and another female to kiss him. These women worked for him in the kitchen as he supervised them. He is also accused of having inappropriate relationships with other women in the jail and providing them favors like snacks or jail account funds. He is even accused of having naked pictures of some of the inmates that they sent to him after they were released from jail.

       Once Sheriffs realized what Arroyo was doing, they placed him on administrative leave after his arrest. If Arroyo is convicted of all the sex crimes he is charged with, he faces a maximum of three years and six months in jail. He would also have to register as a sex offender.

      California was the first state to require a registry of sex offenders starting in 1947.  California’s Megan’s Law was enacted in 1996, and allows local law enforcement agencies to notify the public about sex offender registrants found to be posing a risk to the public. Now, the Sex Offender Registration Program is maintained by the California Department of Justice (DOJ). 

      If convicted of any sex crime, you will likely have to register as a sex offender. Being placed on the sex offender list comes with difficulties finding a place to live and a job. If you are charged with a sex crime, contact an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.