A Merced county California Highway Patrol officer Gilbert Gutierrez has been indicted on two counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child. The charges stem from a slumber party where the victim accuses Gutierrez of touching her in a sexual way.
The grand jury indicted Gutierrez Thursday. He was booked into jail that night but released less than 30 minutes later after posting a $300,000 bond. Authorities said he was not on duty at the time of the allegations, but his role as a CHP officer does make this case especially disturbing. “We take all of these cases very seriously. It’s particularly shocking when someone is accused who is a peace officer, who we expect to be a role model for the community, so this was unusual in that sense, though, we are pursuing the case like we would any other child abuse or molestation case,” said Gates — ABC News
