A Manteca police officer has been charged with sex-related crimes connected to an off-duty incident that occurred in Ripon last year, authorities said.
Officer Ryan Castro turned himself in at the San Joaquin County Jail, the Manteca Police Department said Monday. Castro had been on administrative leave since the department was informed he was under investigation by Ripon police last May.
While details of the incident were not released, the SJ County District Attorney’s Office said Castro faces charges related to sexual acts on an intoxicated person and intent to commit a sexual offense.
“The arrest of Officer Ryan Castro reinforces a fundamental principle: no one is above the law,” said DA spokeswoman Erin Haight in a statement. “The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring that justice is served through a fair and thorough judicial process. Officer Castro, like any individual, will be held accountable for his actions as the legal proceedings move forward.”
Castro has served on Manteca’s police force since June 2018. He’d previously worked for the SJ County Sheriff’s Office.
The charges against Castro mark the latest case of sex charges being filed against a police officer in the county.
Last week, it was announced former Stockton police Sgt. Nicholas Bloed agreed to plead guilty to sex-related charges. The former police officer has admitted to forcing women to perform sex acts with him while on duty, authorities said.
Bloed faces up to eight years in prison when he’s sentenced next month for two counts of oral copulation by threat of arrest and two counts of assault by an officer under the color of authority, the district attorney’s office said.
The plea deal ends a case that involved eight victims and originally saw Bloed charged in 2022 with 15 counts of sexual assault, prostitution and bribery.