Fontana School Police Officer Accused of Rape

Four women claimed in their lawsuits that the school district hired the officer despite a previous allegation.

Four female employees of the Fontana school police department are accusing a former officer of sexually assaulting and raping them, according to lawsuits.

The women are suing former school police Officer James Garcia and also the Fontana Unified School District, which allegedly hired Garcia despite the fact that he had been previously accused of sexual assault.

“We want justice for our four clients,” said the women’s attorney, Brian Hannemann. “They were sexually assaulted by a school district employee.”

Hannemann claimed the victims were threatened with termination if they spoke about the sexual assault allegations. He called on Riverside County District Attorney Mike Ramos to prosecute Garcia in criminal court.

NBC4 News tried to contact Garcia at his Redlands home, but no one came to the door.

In 2006, while Garcia worked at the Fontana Police Department, an 18 year old accused him of sexual assault but prosecutors did not charge him.

He joined the Fontana Unified School District Police Department in 2008. The alleged sexual assaults and rapes happened between October 2010 and September 2011, according to the lawsuits.

Source: www.nbclosangeles.com