Deputy ‘will never patrol streets’ again after soliciting minor, sheriff says

An Orange County deputy sheriff was stripped from duty and arrested Friday after sending sexually explicit messages to a minor he met while investigating an unrelated cyberharassment case, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Charles Cruz, a patrol deputy with the Sheriff ’s Office since August 2021, was taken to the Orange County Jail, where he faces charges of soliciting sex with a minor via computer, an agency spokesperson said in a press release.

Cruz’s alleged interaction with the minor began Feb. 19, when officials said he responded to a call about an object being thrown through a window into the victim’s home, according to the release.

Deputies with OCSO’s Sex Crimes Unit, who were already at the home before Cruz arrived and were investigating a case of sexual cyberharassment in which the child was the victim, believe the culprit was the suspect in their investigation.

Authorities accuse Cruz of making inappropriate contact with the victim during his investigation, which later “became more inappropriate” as Cruz allegedly tried to gauge interest in the victim meeting him in person.

Deputies discovered Cruz’s conversations with the child after reviewing her phone for their separate investigation. On Thursday, deputies said they contacted Cruz acting as the minor using her phone, where he allegedly sent sexually explicit texts.

Cruz is suspended without pay as he faces his criminal case.

“These are very serious criminal allegations, and there is no place in the Orange County Sheriff ’s Office for anyone that would abuse their power to victimize a minor. To make matters worse, this deputy preyed on a young woman who was already a victim of sexual cyberharassment,” Sheriff John Mina said in a statement. “As law enforcement officers, we are held to the highest standards of conduct whether on duty or off duty. He will never patrol the streets of Orange County again.”