Published
1 month agoon
A Fresno County sheriff’s deputy faces a felony sex crime charge involving a minor, as well as a misdemeanor count, the sheriff’s office said Wednesday.
Francisco “Frank” Perez, 42, has been charged with the felony of contacting a minor with intent to commit a sex crime and a misdemeanor of annoying a minor.
Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputy Francisco Perez
“Our office has a zero-tolerance policy for misconduct and any allegations of it are treated as a top priority,” said Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni in a news release. “You have our department’s full commitment to continue this mission and I encourage everyone to report any concerns to us you may have right away.”
After being booked into jail, Perez posted $20,000 bail.
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Perez has been on paid administrative leave since March 30, when the sheriff’s office began an investigation after a report was made against him.
It is alleged that in late 2022, Perez engaged in inappropriate behavior with a female under the age of 18.
“Due to this being a private, sensitive matter, we are not revealing specific details as to what occurred,” sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti said. “However, we can say there is no evidence to show anything physical took place between Perez and the teenager.”
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Anyone with tips about this case is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at (559) 600-3111 or Valley Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867. You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email