THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 3, 1994 TAG: 9409030465
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
Two Sheriff's Department deputies were charged Friday with raping a 33-year-old female inmate in the city jail, bringing to at least five the number of department employees investigated for sexual assault or misconduct in the past two years.
``I can tell you that Sheriff (Frank) Drew has no tolerance for this type of behavior,'' department spokeswoman Linda Jacocks said. ``As a result of the investigation and criminal charges, both employees were immediately terminated.''
Police spokesman Lou Thurston said Michael Pinkerman, 33, and Sabastian Chiriboga, 24, whose addresses were not released, have each been charged with one count of rape and one count of sodomy. The incidents allegedly happened between June and August.
Jacocks said the alleged assaults happened in the jail complex at the city's Municipal Center, but she would not be more specific because of the investigation.
The deputies are being held in separate jails in other cities, Jacocks said.
Both were fired Friday morning.
Including Pinkerman and Chiriboga, at least five Sheriff's Department employees have been fired or forced to resign because of sexual crimes or complaints in the past two years.
At least three other employees have been fired or resigned since Drew took office in 1989 because of what the sheriff says is a zero-tolerance stand against misconduct.
Among the recent cases:
Undersheriff Joseph P. Vitale, second-in-command of the department, unexpectedly resigned April 29 at the conclusion of an internal sexual-harassment investigation. A female city employee accused the undersheriff of improper conduct.
Maj. Willard C. Smith, the jail administrator and department's third-in-command, was fired Aug. 18, 1992, for misconduct after a female employee accused him of sexual harassment.
Deputy William S. McCotter was fired and criminally charged for abducting and assaulting a 35-year-old teacher at a Strawbridge automatic-teller machine on Nov. 10, 1992, while he was in uniform. He was sentenced to 70 years in prison.
The investigation that led to Friday's arrests began shortly after the inmate complained to a jail official, and that official told the Sheriff's Department administrative staff, Jacocks said.
It was not clear exactly when or how the alleged assaults happened. And it was not clear from the charges whether the deputies are thought to have acted together or separately.
Late Thursday, the Police Department's sex-crimes detectives were asked to investigate.
Early Friday, the deputies were arrested, charged and fired.
Pinkerman had worked as a deputy for almost three years; Chiriboga, about 20 months.
Deputies like Pinkerman and Chiriboga are trained by state officials and receive certification from Basic Jailers School, Jacocks said. The school lasts about seven weeks, she said.
Before being hired, the criminal background of each applicant is checked. Candidates are given polygraph tests, and their reading and writing skills are measured, Jacocks said. Their references and employment records are reviewed. Finally, the applicants are interviewed.
If they're accepted, the starting pay is around $18,500, Jacocks said.
Pinkerman and Chiriboga are each being held on $100,000 bail. The investigation is continuing. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Michael Pinkerman
Sabastian Chiriboga
KEYWORDS: SEX CRIME ASSAULT ARREST VIRGINIA BEACH SHERIFF'S
DEPARTMENT SEXUAL ASSAULT RAPE
by CNB