Fontana Police Department officer is arrested on a charge of rape
A Fontana Police Department officer was arrested on a charge of rape of a minor by intoxication on June 4th, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
On June 2nd, the Fontana P.D. contacted the Sheriff's Department and requested assistance with an investigation of the suspect, who was identified as Nicholas Shawn Stark, a 28-year-old Fontana resident. The alleged victim was a 16-year-old girl and the alleged crime took place in Rancho Cucamonga.
At the conclusion of the investigation, Stark was taken into custody and booked into West Valley Detention Center. His bail was set at $250,000.
Detectives determined that the alleged crime happened before Stark's employment with the P.D.
Detectives will release the suspect's booking photo. Any additional victims or any persons with information are urged to contact the Specialized Investigation Division, Crimes Against Children Detail at (909) 387-3615. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463).
In an email to the Herald News, Fontana Police Chief Billy Green said the situation regarding the arrest of Stark is a "righteous concern for our residents and employees. No attempt to justify or mitigate his predatory deviant behavior will be made. He has tarnished the badge of the Fontana Police Department and our community deserves answers."
Green said the comprehensive pre-hire background process takes about 3-5 months to complete and includes, among other aspects, both psychological evaluation and polygraph examination.
"Despite our best attempts to weed out people that should not be hired, we missed the mark and hired someone we should not have," Green said.
He said that one of the Fontana P.D. captains became aware of the situation due to a post on social media from a young woman indicating she had been a victim of sexual assault and the culprit was an officer.
"We were able to quickly learn the identity of the victim," Green said. "Once the victim was identified, I personally called Sheriff (John) McMahon and asked for his staff to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations."
Green said the Fontana P.D. has been fully cooperating with the investigation and will continue to do so.
"Based on California law, I cannot immediately fire Nicholas Stark. He is on paid leave and that is disgusting. However, I will endeavor to terminate him in the most expeditious manner possible," Green said.
