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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that investigators have arrested one of the agency’s correctional deputies on suspicion of sexually assaulting a female jail inmate.
Daniel Constancio Jr., 37, of Willits, was booked into the Mendocino County Jail on Thursday after surrendering himself to authorities, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office reported.
The Thursday statement said that in September the Lake County Sheriff’s Office received a report of sexual assault committed by a sheriff’s office correctional deputy.
The assault was alleged to have occurred in early 2024 at the Hill Road Correctional Facility, authorities said.
The sheriff’s office said the victim was an inmate at the time of the alleged assault and has since been released.
“Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit immediately initiated a criminal investigation and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Professional Standards Bureau immediately initiated an internal affairs investigation,” the agency’s report said.
Detectives identified Constancio as the correctional deputy involved in the assault.
At the time the report was made, Constancio was on approved protected leave and was subsequently placed on paid administrative leave while the criminal investigation was conducted, the sheriff’s office said.
Detectives interviewed the involved parties and witnesses and concluded that, based on the evidence, Constancio engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with the victim while she was incarcerated at the Lake County Jail in 2024.
On Thursday, the sheriff’s office said detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Constancio, who voluntarily surrendered himself and was booked into the Mendocino County Jail on Thursday afternoon.
Constancio’s Mendocino County Jail booking sheet showed he was booked on a misdemeanor charge of intimate touching against the will of the victim, and two felonies, oral copulation in a correctional facility and sexual penetration by threat of retaliation.
Bail was listed at $10,000 and jail records on Thursday night indicated Constancio was no longer in custody.
In September of 2024, a former Lake County correctional officer was arrested for sexual misconduct with a female Lake County Jail inmate in June of 2022. However, court records show that case was dismissed before trial in February of 2025.
“The Lake County Sheriff’s Office takes allegations of misconduct seriously and is committed to accountability, transparency, and the safety of those in our care. Any criminal behavior by an employee is a violation of the public trust and will be investigated thoroughly,” the sheriff’s office said in its Thursday report.
If anyone believes they have any information regarding this case, please contact Det. Marcos De La Torre at 707-262-4231 or the Major Crimes Unit Tip Line at 707-262-4088.
Email Elizabeth Larson at elarson@lakeconews.com. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.