SECOND FORMER MONTEREY COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTY ARRESTED FOR SEX CRIMES INVOLVING INMATES
October 9, 2019
Chelcey Adami, Kate Cimini
The Californian
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office arrested another former deputy suspected of sex crimes involving a woman locked up at the jail where he worked.
Sheriff’s detectives arrested Brent Horger, 26, in Mendocino County on suspicion of two misdemeanor counts on sexual battery and one felony count of dissuading a witness from reporting a crime, the sheriff’s office wrote in a social media post on Wednesday.
A $15,000 arrest warrant for Horger was issued out of Monterey County Superior Court
The sexual battery charges involve a victim who was an inmate at the jail, deputies said.
The arrest comes shortly after the re-arrest of another former deputy suspected of victimizing multiple inmates at the jail, among other sex crimes.
On Monday, a $100,000 warrant was issued for the arrest of Marlon Alvarenga, 33, who faces one count of forcible rape, five counts of sexual activity with a confined adult, and one count of sexual battery.
He was initially arrested in October 2018 after an inmate walked into a supply room and reportedly found him engaged in a “sexual encounter” with another inmate, the sheriff’s office said.
Alvarenga had been assigned to the jail and resigned from the sheriff’s office shortly after his initial arrest.
Monterey County District Attorney’s Office did not file charges against Alvarenga and requested further investigation, prosecutors have said.
“Last year we didn’t have enough to pursue charges.” Sheriff Steve Bernal had said Tuesday.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said the arrests were a result of a “year-long investigation of jail misconduct.” Witnesses and potential victims across California and in Mexico were interviewed by the Sheriff’s Office investigations Division.
Horger left the sheriff’s office shortly after Alvarenga’s October 2018 arrest, according to the social media post.
“We expect this to be the final arrest in this case,” the sheriff’s office post reads.
Alvarenga and Horger worked the same shifts at the Monterey County jail during roughly the same period of employment, said Sheriff’s Capt. John Thornburg. He did not, however, know if the alleged crimes were associated with each other.
Both were assigned only to the jail during their time with the sheriff’s office.
Bernal has said the jail is looking into ways to prevent such assaults, such as adding more cameras. The jail already has more than 200 cameras but there are areas that aren’t covered, mostly where inmates have an expectation of privacy, he said.
Thornburg said the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office follows state guidelines for the hiring process. Its hiring and screening is “quite rigorous,” he said but “you always go back to see did we miss something?”
“The hiring and screening process all is meant to deter this, “said Thornburg. “Over 22 years I can’t think of anything else like this.
“Anytime an employee commits a crime, it’s concerning. The nature of this allegation is concerning, “he said. “We took action as soon as we became aware. We arrested them. Two time, actually.”
Message from Executive Director Laura A. Ahearn: Please visit our website at www.crimevictimscenter.org for news, information and resources in your community.
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