Fresno prosecutor drops sex charges against ex-police officer. He could still be in trouble

Robert Rodriguez
·2 min read

Charges have been dismissed against a former Coalinga police officer, who was accused of having sexual contact with a child.

Juan Alberto Cisneros, 41, was facing a maximum of eight years in prison, had he been convicted of lewd act upon a 14, or 15 year old child.

But the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office dropped the charge against Cisneros on Tuesday, saying the statute of limitations had run out on one charge. On another charge, they had the wrong age for the alleged victim.

“Recently obtained school records revealed that the victim was 16 at the time of the encounter and not 15 as was previously understood,” said prosecutor Andrew Janz. “This code section requires the victim to be 15 or younger at the time of the incident.“

The case is now being forwarded to the U.S. Attorneys Offices for possible prosecution, Janz said.

Attorney Jeffrey Hammerschmidt, who represented Cisneros, said he was not surprised the charges against his client were dropped. “Those charges could not be proven,” he said. “As for my client, he was relieved but also frustrated it took as long as it did to get dismissed.”

Cisneros was investigated by the Coalinga Police Department and indicted by a grand jury after he was accused of kidnapping and having sex with a 14 or 15 year old girl sometime between April 16, 2012 and April 5, 2013.

Cisneros served as a police officer with the Coalinga Police Department from 2007 to 2020, retiring from the force with the rank of sergeant.

Cisneros could not be reached for comment, but his father-in-law, Joe Rascon, a retired Fresno County Sheriff’s deputy, said the case against Cisneros was flawed from the beginning.

“There were a lot of inconsistencies and a lack of physical evidence,” Rascon said.

While serving with the Coalinga Police Department, Cisneros was recognized along with four others for outstanding performance in 2019. The same year, he and another officer were given the Law Enforcement Medal of Valor by the City of Coalinga.

“He is lucky he has family supporting him,” said Rascon. “And as far as his law enforcement career, he is destroyed.”