3 RivCo Deputies Arrested: 1 Charged, Others Post Bail

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Two Riverside County sheriff's correctional deputies accused of serious crimes, and another suspected of misdemeanors, were experiencing different living conditions Wednesday.

Christian Phillip Heidecker, 32, of Menifee, who is accused of engaging in sex acts with female inmates on home detention as part of an extortion scheme, was charged Wednesday with 18 felony offenses and pleaded not guilty to all. He remains jailed at the Benoit Detention Center in Indio in lieu of $1 million bail.

Meanwhile, Jorge Alberto Oceguera Rocha, 25, of Banning — who was arrested and booked into Murrieta's Byrd Detention Center on Sunday on suspicion of transportation of drugs in excess of 44 pounds, possession of narcotics and possession of controlled substances while armed — posted $1 million bail Wednesday and was released from custody. It was unclear whether the Riverside County District Attorney's Office was prepared to file formal charges against him.

Another corrections deputy, Brent Bishop Turnwall, 22, of Murrieta was arrested at 6 p.m. Sept. 13 near the Cois Byrd Detention Center on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance — both misdemeanors. He was released on $5,000 bail the same day. Formal charges have not been filed against him, court records show.

The cases are unrelated, according to sheriff's Sgt. Deirdre Vickers.

Heidecker was arrested Friday night at a Murrieta home on Talavera Court following an investigation by the sheriff's department. The DA's office has charged him with three counts each of being a detention officer engaging in sex while on duty and witness intimidation, as well as four counts each of attempted penetration with a foreign object, extortion and a public official seeking bribes.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Steve Brosche, investigators were tipped off last month to alleged criminal behavior on the part of Heidecker, who was then assigned to the Alternative Sentencing Program, working out of the Coordinated Custody Management Unit in Banning.

The program enables inmates to serve time on home confinement, in lieu of jail, wearing ankle monitors to track their whereabouts and ensure compliance with the terms of their sentences.

The ensuing investigation revealed that Heidecker had allegedly exploited his position of authority, targeting four female inmates, identified in court documents only by their initials — "A.A.," "A.R.," "K.P." and "O.C."

Heidecker allegedly engaged in unspecified sexual activity with the women, capturing video and still images, according to the criminal complaint.

It was unclear what Heidecker allegedly told the inmates to gain their compliance, but the complaint stated that the defendant tried to "extort money and other property [from the victims] by means of a wrongful use of force and fear ... [using] sexually explicit photographs and videos."

When it became evident that one or more of the victims was going to report him, Heidecker allegedly tried to prevent them from talking, possibly through intimidation, according to court papers.

The defendant is on administrative leave from the sheriff's department pending the outcome of the case. He graduated from Riverside County's Basic Correctional Deputy Academy in 2018.

Separately, Rocha's arrest came early Sunday morning after he was pulled over by law enforcement in the area of Interstate 10 and County Line Road in Calimesa.

"It was discovered that Rocha was in possession of narcotics," sheriff's spokesperson Wenndy Brito Gonzalez said. "No additional details will be released at this time, as the case is still under investigation."

Rocha was hired by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department in April 2019. At the time of his arrest, he was serving at Banning's Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility, Gonzalez said.

The drugs allegedly in his vehicle weren't identified, and there was no word on whether Rocha was suspected of selling the substances in the correctional system, where multiple drug-related deaths have occurred, leading to a lawsuit earlier this year.

Following his arrest, Rocha resigned from the sheriff's department, according to Gonzalez.

Turnwall worked at Cois M. Byrd Detention Center, according to a report from The Press-Enterprise. In a statement to the newspaper, Sheriff Chad Bianco said the corrections deputy "was released from service with the Sheriff’s Office with cause."

—Patch Editor Toni McAllister and City News Service contributed to this report.