Riverside County sheriff's deputy arrested in reported sexual assault of department volunteer

On June 21, 2024, a female volunteer with the Riverside County Sheriff's Office confided in a Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy about a sexual assault committed by another deputy. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the deputy immediately reported the incident to his supervisor. As a result, investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office Special Victims Unit (SVU) launched an investigation into the allegations. The investigation found evidence that 33-year-old Deputy Alexander Vanny committed a sexual assault against the adult victim. Subsequently, on June 22, 2024, Vanny was arrested and booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility for multiple felony sexual assault-related charges.
Deputy Alexander Vanny, 33, has been arrested for allegedly committing a sexual assault of a female volunteer at the Riverside Sheriff's Department. (Riverside Sheriff Department)

A Riverside County Sheriff's Department deputy was arrested Saturday and booked on suspicion of sexually assaulting a volunteer in the department, authorities said.

Alexander Vanny, 33, was arrested after the female volunteer reported a sexual assault to a deputy on Friday, according to the Sheriff's Department.

The deputy reported the allegation to a supervisor, prompting an investigation, according to the department.

The department said it found evidence of a sexual assault, which led to Vanny's arrest.

"The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office condemns any form of misconduct involving its personnel on or off duty and remains resolute in its commitment to deterring and preventing such behavior," the department said in a press release.

Vanny is an eight-year veteran of the sheriff's department who most recently served in the Hemet Sheriff's Station.

He was being held on $1-million bail and was booked on suspicion of kidnapping to commit rape, rape by force and forced oral copulation. Records show Vanny was released Sunday.

Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.