A Riverside County sheriff’s correctional deputy accused of engaging in sex acts with female inmates on home detention as part of an extortion scheme must stand trial on nearly a dozen felony counts, a judge ruled today.
Christian Phillip Heidecker, 32, of Menifee was arrested last month following an investigation by the sheriff’s department.
At the end of a two-day preliminary hearing, Superior Court Judge Jorge Hernandez found there was sufficient evidence to bound Heidecker over for trial on four counts each of extortion and a public official seeking bribes, as well as three counts of witness intimidation.
However, the judge dismissed four counts of attempted penetration with a foreign object and three counts of being a detention officer engaging in sex while on duty.
It was not immediately clear whether the District Attorney’s Office intended to re-file those charges.
Hernandez scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Oct. 19 at the Banning Justice Center and left Heidecker’s bail set at $200,000. He’s being held at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Brosche, in August, investigators were tipped off 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.”
The deputy 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.
The complaint stated that the defendant then 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.
He was arrested without incident in Murrieta on Sept. 15.
The defendant is on administrative leave pending the outcome of the case.
There was no word regarding his length of service with the sheriff’s department or law enforcement.