Ex-cop facing charges of rape
Former officer linked to crimes in San Mateo and Sacramento area; DA files 22 felony counts
SAN MATEO — Two communities and police departments are “dumbfounded” by the news that a former San Mateo police officer has been charged with a spate of rapes and sexual assaults while on duty, with a 17-year-old girl among the alleged victims.
Noah White Winchester, 31, was arrested Thursday morning near his Stockton home and was charged with 22 felony sexual assault charges that cover kidnapping with intent to commit rape, rape, sexual penetration and oral copulation under color of authority, sexual battery, criminal threats and forcible sex.
The charges against Winchester cover a two-year period when he worked in San Mateo and the Los Rios Community College District in the Sacramento area. He is in custody in the San Joaquin County jail on $3.1 million bail and is expected
to be transported to San Mateo County by the end of the week to face the charges against him.
Prosecutors have tied Winchester to five victims and contend the sexual assaults occurred between July 2, 2013, and Oct. 19, 2015 across two jurisdictions where he worked as a police officer.
“It really is alarming and disturbing,” said District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. “We’ve prosecuted officers for things on duty, but not for crimes as violent as these are. It’s truly a betrayal of the public trust and all of us in the criminal justice system are horrified by this.”
San Mateo police Chief Susan Manheimer said she was “appalled” at the nature of his alleged acts while acknowledging the former officer’s presumption of innocence in court.
“We are distressed, disgusted and disappointed by these allegations,” she said in an interview Thursday. “I am grateful to the victims who were courageous enough to come forward, and should the allegations prove true, we stand with them.”
She added: “We are taking all steps possible to ensure we do not get surprised and our community does not get targeted again.”
Winchester did not arouse suspicion until Oct. 20, when a woman told Burlingame police she was sexually assaulted in her car the previous night by a San Mateo officer, later identified as Winchester, at Coyote Point Recreation Area.
That led to both an administrative review and a criminal investigation by the District Attorney’s Office that culminated in Thursday’s arrest. It was during that investigation that authorities discovered allegations from 2013 while Winchester was a police officer with the Los Rios district.
The revelation has prompted an investigation by the college district, where Winchester worked from 2009 until 2015. He patrolled American River College in his last two years with the district, which covers the time frame of the allegations there.
“If these allegations are proven to be true, that would be horrific for the women who were victimized. Such criminal behavior is contrary to the core values and mission of the Los Rios Community College District,” district spokesman Mitchel Benson said.
Winchester was linked to two other assaults in San Mateo and two more around Sacramento. All of the victims were female, and all but one were adults, prosecutors say:
Oct. 20: Two counts of rape and one count of kidnapping in the Coyote Point case
Sept. 22: One count of residential burglary and one count attempted rape for an encounter in a San Mateo motel room
Sept. 15: Two counts sexual battery involving a victim at Hillsdale Mall in San Mateo
Aug. 30, 2013: Two counts digital penetration, four counts sexual battery and one count kidnapping involving a 17-year-old girl in a Los Rios Community College parking lot
July 2, 2013: Two counts rape, four counts oral copulation, one count kidnapping and one count of felony threats involving a victim at a Los Rios campus building
Winchester was hired by San Mateo police in early 2015 and completed his probationary period in June, meaning he was patrolling unsupervised for about four months when he was placed on leave following the October allegation. In February, with the investigation still underway, Winchester resigned from the department.
Manheimer said she was “dumbfounded” by the allegations given that he passed what she described as thorough backgrounding that included psychological and polygraph tests and vetting with former employers. But she also noted that the earlier accusations now leveled against Winchester were not uncovered until after the October case.
Deputy Mayor David Lim reacted similarly but said he was heartened by how seriously the initial allegation was taken.
“We can’t all but help feel a little disgusted by the nature of the allegations, and I’m very proud that the city, especially the police department, took very proactive action upon learning of it,” Lim said.
The last Bay Area officer charged with an on-duty rape was former San Jose cop Geoffrey Graves, who was tried for the rape of a woman at a motel in 2013. A jury hung earlier this year, and prosecutors plan to retry him.
The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office expects to arraign Winchester on Monday.
“We are in no way minimizing what are shocking, disgusting and disturbing allegations,” Manheimer said, “but we will not let the actions of this single individual come between the trust that has been built between the community and ourselves, and redouble our efforts.”