Chowchilla police officer arrested in sex-with-minor case

A 35-year-old Chowchilla police officer who has worked with schools was arrested Monday on suspicion of having sex with a minor, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Tyler Hormel was assigned as a school resource officer, but the alleged crime did not take place at any of the locations where Hormel was working, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Few details were immediately available.

“This circumstance is still under investigation, however there is currently no evidence that indicates that any of the alleged criminal conduct occurred while he was on duty or acting in an official capacity,” Sheriff Jay Varney said in a statement.

Hormel has been placed on administrative leave from the Police Department, deputies said.

He was booked into the Madera County Jail on suspicion of one count of oral copulation with a minor, two counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child age 14 or 15, and four counts of forcible rape, according the Sheriff’s Office.

Lt. Bill Ward said he could not comment on the number of alleged victims in the case or provide any details on the time frame of the allegations. Ward reiterated that the alleged crime did not take place on any of the campuses where Hormel was working, but declined to say whether the alleged victim was a student at one of those schools.

Officials did not identify the schools where Hormel worked.

According to Merced Sun-Star archives, Hormel was assigned in August 2013 to be the campus resource officer for the Chowchilla Elementary School District and has been with the department for at least 12 years.

The Sheriff’s Office is conducting the criminal investigation and the city Police Department is also handling an internal inquiry, deputies said.

“This investigation has gone forward at the request of the Chowchilla Police Department and with their full cooperation,” Varney said.

Dave Riviere, the Chowchilla police chief, declined to comment on any details of the case.

“Unfortunately, this is all a personnel matter and we’re trying to deal with all of that right now,” Riviere told the Sun-Star.

The police chief said he would speak with the city’s attorneys before making any further comments.

This story was originally published February 8, 2016 at 4:41 PM with the headline "Chowchilla police officer arrested in sex-with-minor case."