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On May 26, 2023, Alameda authorities officially announced that California probation officer Nicole Perales has been charged with having inappropriate s*xual relations with a 15-year-old inmate. According to the Alameda District Attorney's Office, the first of the alleged assaults perpetrated by Nicole Perales supposedly occurred 17 years ago, on August 27, 2004.
Trigger warning: This article concerns references to physical assault, the reader's discretion is advised
Nicole Perales is one of many officials who have recently been charged by the Alameda District Attorney's Office in separate cases. Prosecutors have also charged two Alameda County Sheriff's Deputies for falsifying records in relation to the suicide of inmate Vinetta Martin, a 32-year-old who hung herself in Santa Rita jail on April 3, 2021.
Nicole Perales could face up to 4 years in prison
Nicole Perales, who is now 50 years old, was a 20-year veteran of the probation office. If convicted of the charges, she will have to register as a predator in the national registry of offenders.
She could also potentially face up to four years in jail. Prosecutors believe that when Perales met the teenage victim, he was in custody at the Alameda Juvenile Justice Center.
The 15-year-old victim was reportedly abused by Nicole Perales multiple times over the course of a year. Fox noted that prosecutors claimed the alleged misconduct took place from August 27, 2004, to August 26, 2005.
Perales has been accused of exploiting the power imbalance in her dynamic with the child, who she was supposed to supervise under her capacity as a probation officer. The identity of the victim, who would now be approximately 32 years old, was not disclosed by the authorities.
As per a statement released by the office of District Attorney Pamela Price, the investigation into the allegations against Perales involved the Alameda County Public Accountability Unit, which was launched in January 2023, under the Civil Rights Bureau. The Public Accountability Unit aims to ensure that State employees do not abuse their power.
In a statement to the public, Pamela Price said that the unit was started in the wake of Tyre Nichols' death at the hands of police officers. Price hoped that a focus on internal affairs investigations could improve relationships between police officers and American citizens, particularly those who are marginalized or oppressed.
A District Attorney's Office spokesperson summed up the purpose of the Public Accountability Unit on their official page.
The statement read:
"Its mission is to restore public trust by holding law enforcement and public officials accountable for misconduct. The new unit is under the umbrella of the Civil Rights Bureau. It also handles Brady compliance and Racial Justice Act cases."
The deputies who have been charged in a separate investigation have been identified as Sheri Baughman, 49, and Amanda Bracamontes, 30.
