San Diego County sheriff accused of molesting three minors

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — A San Diego County sheriff’s deputy was behind bars Thursday on suspicion of molesting three minors.

Officers with the Chula Vista Police Department arrested Jaylen Devon Fleer, 27, on Wednesday following a nearly four-month investigation, CVPD Lt. Dan Peak said.

Fleer, a member of the sheriff’s jail and the court-services unit, was booked into Vista Detention Facility on suspicion of 15 felony charges, including lewd acts with a person 14 or 15 years old, luring a minor for purposes of committing a sex offense and oral copulation with a person under age 16.

The case came to light April 9, when San Diego County Crime Stoppers received tips regarding an unidentified man who allegedly had engaged in sex acts with a juvenile, according to Peak.

“Investigators were able to identify the suspect and also determine that there were two additional underage victims,” the lieutenant said, adding that the alleged offenses “had no nexus to (Fleer’s) employment.”

During the investigation, Fleer, who has been with the Sheriff’s Department for just over five years, was removed from a post at San Diego Central Jail and placed on desk duty, the agency reported. Since then, he has had no on-duty contact with the public, officials said.

“Even though the allegation(s) had nothing to do with Fleer’s duties as a deputy, they were so serious that all peace-officer authority was taken away from him,” the regional law enforcement service asserted in a prepared statement. “The Sheriff’s Department takes allegations of illegal activity by its employees very seriously. We hold all our deputies to the highest standards and will hold deputies who violate the law accountable.”

Fleer was being held without bail pending arraignment, tentatively scheduled for July 31.