Former West Sacramento police officer, Sergio Alvarez,
speaks with his attorney Gabriel Quinnan at his plea entry hearing Thursday, at
the Yolo County Courthouse. (Due Cockrell/Davis Enterprise pool photograph)A
former West Sacramento police officer pleaded not guilty to 35 counts of rape,
kidnapping and other charges in a Woodland courtroom Thursday.
Prosecutors say Sergio Alvarez, 37, sexually assaulted six
women in West Sacramento over a one-year period. The charges against him
include kidnapping, sexual penetration, oral copulation and sodomy against the
victims' will.
Alvarez appeared Thursday morning in the courtroom of Yolo
County Superior Court Judge Dave Rosenberg, with his current lawyer, Gabriel
Quinnan, entering a plea of not guilty on his behalf. Alvarez also waived his
right to a trial within 60 days, with Quinnan saying the defense needs more
time as "I have not received any discovery" in the case.
Former West Sacramento police officer, Sergio Alvarez,
speaks with his attorney Gabriel Quinnan at his plea entry hearing Thursday, at
the Yolo County Courthouse before Superior Court Judge David Rosenberg. (Sue
Cockrell/Davis Enterprise pool photograph)officer who worked alone during the
night shift, Alvarez allegedly coerced his victims into sex by
"threatening to use his authority as a public official to arrest and/or
incarcerate" them, according to an indictment filed against him. The
alleged assaults were said to take place between Oct. 1, 2011 and Sept. 23,
2012, with some occurring in his patrol car and others in an undisclosed
location.
West Sacramento police say one victim told another officer
she had been assaulted, sparking a five-month investigation conducted jointly
by the Sacramento and West Sacramento police departments. That investigation
wrapped up in February, with a Grand Jury convening Feb. 23 and 24. Alvarez was
fired and arrested the next day.
He remains in custody with bail set at $26.3 million.
Quinnan asked for a bail hearing during Thursday's court appearance, but
Rosenberg said the request needs to be submitted in written form first.
"I'm certainly willing to entertain a motion of that
nature. But it should be in writing," he said. A written motion is
expected to be submitted before the next hearing, scheduled for Friday, March
22.
The judge also handed attorneys a four-inch-thick document
generated by the Grand Jury proceedings. The prosecutor in the case, Yolo
County Deputy District Attorney Garrett Hamilton, asked that the document
remain sealed, and Rosenberg agreed.