The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Workplace has fired a deputy who responded to a name to assist a suicidal 21-year-old lady and later despatched her a photograph of his genitals and paid her for a pornographic video.
The county additionally this yr paid $40,000 to settle a lawsuit the girl filed towards the county relating to the incident, county spokeswoman Janna Haynes stated.
In July 2022, then-deputy Patrick Walker, 40 on the time, responded to a name for service made by the chums of a girl who was 21 on the time, based on Sheriff’s Workplace inside affairs paperwork launched final week. The chums stated she had gone lacking and meant to commit suicide by overdosing on cocaine and fentanyl. In an try to assist her, Walker used his work cell to textual content the girl, the deputies positioned her and checked her into the hospital, the place she stayed for 3 days on a psychological well being maintain, the paperwork state.
A few week after the preliminary name, Walker texted the girl to verify on her nicely being, the paperwork state. She responded, and so they began texting. She requested if he was married, and when he stated sure, she stated his spouse was a “fortunate lady.”
Walker then made it clear he needed to have intercourse together with her, the paperwork state, and the 2 agreed he would pay her $100 for every nude picture. He despatched her a photograph of his genitals, then she despatched him a pornographic video. Walker didn’t pay her for it, then blocked her on Fb messenger. She then texted his work telephone asking for cash, and he despatched her $400, the paperwork state.
The lady’s stepfather later referred to as the Sheriff’s Workplace to file a criticism alleging Walker was utilizing his authority to benefit from the girl, who had simply suffered a psychological well being disaster, had used unlawful medicine, and had been sexually abused up to now.
“The proof on this case is undisputed,” Chief Deputy Matt Peterson wrote in an inside memo in November 2022. “Deputy Walker overtly expressed his sexual needs … through digital messages. He in the end paid $400 for a nude video of herself. Deputy Walker acknowledged his conduct was flawed and ‘introduced disgrace to this division.’ Deputy Walker clearly understood that his conduct was unacceptable, as indicated by his makes an attempt to hide his conversations by transitioning them from his work telephone to Fb Messenger after which by deleting all of the messages from his gadgets.
“(The lady) skilled a psychological well being disaster, which we helped her with, however was subsequently victimized by Deputy Walker primarily based on his sexual needs.”
The lady advised investigators she didn’t need Walker to get in hassle however didn’t assume he needs to be allowed to answer psychological well being calls anymore.
Walker violated the Sheriff’s Workplace normal orders relating to conflicting relationships, social media, and use of county cellphones. The Normal Orders state: “To keep away from precise or perceived conflicts of curiosity, members of this division shall chorus from creating or sustaining private or enterprise relationships with victims, witnesses or different people in the course of the course or as a direct results of any official contact.”
Walker didn’t reply to an e mail searching for remark. Throughout an interview with investigators, he stated, “on reflection, he believed he took benefit of scenario for his personal sexual gratification. He stated that regardless of their age distinction, how they met, and her psychological sickness, that was not his intent on the time,” the paperwork state.
The Sheriff’s Workplace posted the paperwork on-line after an lawyer for The Sacramento Bee despatched the workplace a letter demanding the workplace publish its disciplinary paperwork to its web site extra rapidly, to be able to adjust to Senate Invoice 1421.
On-line data maintained by Clear California present Walker earned $176,608 in pay final yr. He was a Sheriff’s Workplace worker for 18 years, together with a decade on patrol, the paperwork state.
