Editor’s note: This story contains explicit references to alleged sexual misconduct.
San Joaquin County has agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle sexual abuse claims against a former sheriff’s sergeant.
The settlement, which the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors agreed to unanimously without comment on Tuesday, brings an end to a lawsuit brought by a Sheriff’s Office employee in 2024 alleging sexual assault and misconduct by former Sgt. Michael Reynolds.
But this may not be the last time Reynolds finds himself in court for similar accusations. In a civil complaint filed to a California federal court in April, Reynolds is accused of sexually exploiting and grooming a minor.
The 2024 plaintiff, anonymously identified as Jane Doe in court filings, worked as a crime analyst in the medical examiner’s office, a department formerly housed under the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
The abuse, Doe claimed, began in August 2021 and ended in February 2023 when Reynolds left his post at the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, according to the complaint.
Doe alleged the San Joaquin County and Sheriff’s Office had known of the abuse since April 2023 but “did not take disciplinary action” or “subject [Reynolds] to criminal investigation,” the complaint states.
According to the complaint, the county and Sheriff’s Office alleged discovery of Reynolds’ behavior came after Doe experienced a “major psychological adverse event” while working on a “sex crime project,” for which she had previously requested reassignment.
Doe took compensated medical leave after the event and is still employed by the county, the complaint notes.
The sheriff’s office, county and Sheriff Patrick Withrow, on behalf of their attorney Serena Warner, said they “do not comment on cases with pending or active litigation.”
Reynolds, who served on the force for more than a decade, faced five counts, among them allegations of sexual harassment and gender violence, in the now-settled 2024 complaint.
The county, the sheriff’s office and Withrow — in his official capacity as sheriff at the time of the alleged abuse — were also named in five counts, including for allegedly failing to address Reynolds’ alleged misconduct.
In multiple incidents, according to the civil complaint, Reynolds repeatedly and nonconsensually initiated sexual contact — including restraining Doe against an elevator wall to forcibly kiss her.
Among other incidents, according to the complaint, Reynolds sent sexually explicit images to Doe, such as a video of him masturbating while in uniform in his patrol car, and made unsolicited calls to her personal cell and appearances at her residence.
In a previously filed court response, Reynolds said he “generally and specifically denies the allegations.”
Reynolds’ attorney, David R. Norton, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Stocktonia did not receive a response from either of the defendants’ attorneys regarding why they had agreed to settle.
It’s not the first time the county has settled claims regarding sexual misconduct against county employees.
In February, county supervisors approved a $950,000 settlement to Kelly Gilbert, who accused former county chief investigator Gordon Ogden of sexual harassment and discrimination. Gilbert worked for the county public defender’s office in 2017 as an investigator.
Within local law enforcement, former Stockton Police Sgt. Nicholas Bloed pled guilty in April to charges from victims accusing him of sexual assault and oral copulation while on the job. Bloed, who worked at Stockton Police for 14 years, was sentenced in June to eight years in prison.
In the separate April complaint against Reynolds, another plaintiff, made anonymous under the name Janet Roe, accuses the former sergeant of sending sexually explicit images of himself while in uniform and in a patrol vehicle when she was 16.
The April suit was filed by attorney Joshua H. Watson, who represents Doe. Watson declined to comment about the settlement.
As of Friday, no criminal charges related to alleged sexual misconduct appear under Reynolds’ name, according to San Joaquin County Superior Court records. Charging decisions fall under a county’s district attorney, according to California law.