South County patrol officer met woman after domestic dispute
A Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Deputy under criminal
investigation
– previously fired by the county’s Department of Corrections –
has resigned his position.
South County patrol officer met woman after domestic dispute
A Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Deputy under criminal investigation – previously fired by the county’s Department of Corrections – has resigned his position.
A woman has accused Hector Luna of rape after he met her during a domestic disturbance call.
Detectives from the Gilroy Police Department searched Hector Luna’s Los Banos home on Sept. 18 and found paperwork documenting Luna’s firing from the DOC for allegedly watching a woman get strip-searched, according to law enforcement sources.
The paperwork detailed how Luna’s employment record was expunged after an arbitrator ruled in his favor, which means the sheriff’s office would not have known about the incident during hiring. According to investigators, two female officers told him to stop watching a strip search, but he kept coming back. After being fired in connection with the incident, an arbitrator had him reinstated and he served a 30-day suspension.
Luna worked at the DOC for 12 years before leaving in May 2000, according to DOC Spokesman Mark Cursi, who would not release any other information regarding Luna’s work history. The 37-year-old Luna subsequently enrolled in Gavilan College’s Police Academy and was a rookie officer when a woman accused him of rape Aug. 26.
Reached at home, Luna said he was surprised by a reporter’s inquiries.
“I don’t know anything about it,” he said. “I don’t have any comment, sir.”
Little else is known about the victim from court records other than she has several teenage daughters. GPD Detective Hank Snow and Rape Advocate Vickie Caballero met with the victim at the police station to piece together this story, documented in court records.
Around 3 a.m. on Aug. 25, a 911 operator dispatched Luna along with another deputy to a domestic violence call. At a South County residence, the deputies found the victim and her estranged husband arguing and separated the two parties – a routine procedure on domestic violence calls – with Luna taking the victim into a bedroom.
Luna allegedly told the victim he couldn’t understand why her husband was being so mean to her.
“Let me give you a hug,” he allegedly said.
The victim declined his offer, then Luna asked why she was dressed in a t-shirt and sweat pants and not a nightgown. He divulged intimate details of his own life, such as his divorce three years earlier. The sheriff’s deputy allegedly asked her to spend the night at his home, told the victim he had a nice pool and gave her his phone number.
After leaving the victim’s house, Luna allegedly called her four times over the next few hours, and she called him twice. Around 6 a.m. he asked to meet her at the Black Bear Diner on Leavesley Road in Gilroy for breakfast, and she agreed. When the victim arrived at the restaurant around 9 a.m. she waited for him in the parking lot. When Luna pulled up in his 2002 Dodge Neon, he motioned her into his car. She did as instructed and noticed a small Raider’s helmet on the dashboard.
“She said he kept telling her he wanted to be her friend, and telling her that he could help her,” Snow said, according to court documents.
Luna drove away from the restaurant and took the victim to a dirt parking lot near Christmas Hill Park, while telling her how much he wanted to be friends.
“This is where they have the Garlic Festival,” he allegedly said.
He then asked the victim when she last had sex, before allegedly jumping on top of her and pulling up her shirt. The victim told him to stop and began crying, but Luna allegedly put her hand on his genitals, according to court records.
“We’re getting a room,” he allegedly said.
The victim told police she was terrified and thought Luna might have his gun nearby. On the drive to the Ramada Inn across the street from the Black Bear Diner, the victim told investigators that she told Luna she would say nothing if things went no further, but Luna instead held her hand, according to court documents. Arriving at the Ramada, Luna allegedly told her to stay in the car or she would get hurt.
“I know you have a cell phone,” she told investigators he said. “Don’t bother to call 911 cause who do you think will help you?”
Luna went into the motel office to get a room. When he came back, Luna ordered the victim to follow him to room number 112. Inside he closed the curtain, turned on the TV and locked the door. He remarked how nice the room was. Luna eventually pulled the victim to bed and ordered her to disrobe, according to court records. The victim began crying and said “no,” before Luna allegedly raped her and bit her genitals.
The two left the motel around 10:30 a.m. and Luna motioned the victim to walk to her car across the street before he drove off. The victim delayed reporting the incident because her eldest daughter feared Luna. But the victim told police she needed to set the right example for her daughters.
At the Valley Medical Center, nurses found bruises on the woman’s left breast and chin and scratches on her wrists. Meanwhile, Snow and another detective tried interviewing Luna at the San Martin Sub-Station before the deputy started his next shift, but he refused to talk
After the interview, the sheriff’s office began an inquiry, but Sheriff’s Deputy Terrance Helm was emphatic that Luna was not forced to leave.
“We are continuing our internal affairs investigation and we are continuing to cooperate with Gilroy PD,” Helm said. “Luna resigned, he was not fired.”
When Snow returned to his office, Caballero told him by telephone there might be other victims. Caballero said when she told other rape advocates the story one of them said, “Let me guess, Hector.” The advocate told Caballero two other women reported being raped by Luna, but were too scared to press charges against a cop.
Using Luna’s police reports as a reference, Snow also found a woman who said she was contacted by a sheriff’s deputy the day after a domestic violence call. The deputy wanted to chat with the woman, but she cut the conversation short and did not catch the deputy’s name.
The District Attorney’s Office has not yet filed charges, and Deputy District Attorney Victoria Brown, who runs the sex crimes unit, said she couldn’t comment on pending cases.
Meanwhile, Det. Snow indicated in court records his investigation is ongoing.
“I believe it is reasonable to suspect that Luna has multiple victims,” Snow said.
