STANISLAUS COUNTY, CA – A deputy from the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office found himself on the other side of the law on Tuesday. Matthew Dessert, 40, was taken into custody following allegations of sexual and physical abuse of a minor that reportedly spanned approximately five years.
The charges against Dessert include continual sexual abuse of a child, lewd and lascivious acts with a minor aged 14 or 15, penetration with a foreign object of a victim under the age of 18, sexual battery, and physical abuse of a child. The case came to light when a school counselor reported a student’s disclosure of the abuse to detectives on Monday.
Upon investigation, detectives discovered that the teenager allegedly knew Dessert and the abuse began when the child was nine years old. Dessert was subsequently interviewed at the sheriff’s office, where he voluntarily complied. Following the interview, he was arrested and booked into jail with a bail set at $425,000, which he posted a few hours later.
Dessert, who joined the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office as a patrol deputy in 2014, has been placed on paid administrative leave and his peace officer powers have been revoked. The investigation is ongoing and due to confidentiality reasons, the name of the school will not be released. Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact Detective J. Wall.