SAN MATEO COUNTY (KRON) — A former San Mateo police officer was arrested Thursday morning in Stockton for multiple alleged sexual assaults while on duty.
31-year-old Noah White Winchester is facing 22 felony sexual assault charges involving five separate victims, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney.
The charges include kidnapping with intent to commit rape, rape, sexual penetration and oral copulation under color of authority, sexual battery, criminal threats, and forcible sex offenses.
Prosecutors say the offenses happened between July 2, 2013 and October 19, 2015. They also say some of these offenses occurred while he was in uniform.
The two victims of the 2013 offenses were from Sacramento and happened while Winchester was employed as a police officer for the Los Rios Community College District.
The alleged crimes against victim #1 are two counts rape, four counts oral copulation, one count kidnapping and one count felony threats.
The alleged crimes against victim #2 are two counts digital penetration, four counts sexual battery and one count kidnapping.
The 2015 offenses happened while he was on duty as a police officer for the City of San Mateo and involved victims from San Mateo County.
The alleged crimes against victim #3 are two counts felony sexual battery.
The alleged crimes against victim #4 are charges and one count residential burglary being a motel room and one count attempted rape.
The alleged crimes against victim #5 are charges and two counts of rape and one count of kidnapping.
The San Mateo Police Department was first made aware of criminal allegations regarding the conduct of Winchester, at that time a San Mateo Police Officer, on the morning of October 20, 2015.
The allegations were related to an incident that occurred the previous night, October 19, 2015 beginning at about 10:00 p.m.
Winchester was employed as a San Mateo Police Officer for approximately 10 months at the time the first allegations were made.
Based on the severity of the allegations SMDP immediately placed Winchester on indefinite leave before his next work shift, and turned the criminal portion of the investigation over to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
The San Mateo Police Department took immediate action to protect the community and suspend Winchester’s police powers.
Additional alleged acts were uncovered during the District Attorney’s investigation in both San Mateo and Sacramento Counties. The incidents alleged in 2013 were not discovered until that time.
While both investigations were still ongoing, Winchester resigned from the San Mateo Police Department in February of 2016.
The San Mateo Police Department stated, “While we respect the now former officer’s right to due process under the law and the presumption that he is innocent until proven guilty, we as a department cannot help but be appalled by the nature of these allegations.”
Winchester was arrested Thursday morning at his home in Sacramento where he lives with his wife and her two teenage children.
Winchester is being held on a $3,100,000 bail and is currently at the San Joaquin County Jail but will soon be moved to the San Mateo County Jail.
He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday at 1:30 p.m.Stay with KRON4 News for updates.