Beaumont Police Officer Arrested On Suspicion Of Rape

BEAUMONT, CA — An off-duty Beaumont police officer was arrested this week on suspicion of rape and other felony charges.

Diego Francisco Sanchez, 35, was taken into custody at 1 p.m. Tuesday and booked into Banning's Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility on suspicion of rape, assault, oral copulation and false imprisonment, jail records show.

The Special Investigations Bureau of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department was the arresting agency, according to the records.

"On February 12, 2024, investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Beaumont Police Department and assumed the investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct by an off-duty Beaumont Police Officer," according to an emailed statement from Sgt. Deirdre Vickers of the sheriff's department.

Sanchez was arrested the next day. Formal court charges against him were not filed as of Thursday afternoon. He was out of custody after posting a $55,000 bail bond the same as his arrest, jail records show.

Sanchez was hired by the Beaumont Police Department in December 2022, according to police department spokesperson Marcedes Cashmer. He served with another law enforcement agency before his hiring by Beaumont PD. Further information about that agency was unavailable at press time.

Sanchez was terminated from his job before his arrest, according to a statement released by Cashmer.

"On February 13, 2024, an off-duty City of Beaumont Police Officer was arrested by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for allegations of sexual misconduct. Prior to his arrest, the police officer was relieved of all duties and is no longer an employee of the City of Beaumont. For further details regarding this criminal investigation and the arrest, please contact the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office," the statement read.