Ex-Police Sergeant Charles Starnes Charged With Kidnapping, Sexually Assaulting Two Colleagues

Former Garden Grove police sergeant Charles Starnes, 52, was arrested Oct. 29 and charged with kidnapping and sexual assault against two female colleagues in 2007 and 2020.

Former Garden Grove Sergeant Faces Four Felony Counts Over Decade-Spanning Attacks

Charles "Chuck" William Starnes III, 52, a former Garden Grove police sergeant, was arrested October 29 by the US Marshals Service and charged with four felonies — including multiple counts of sexual assault and kidnapping — the Orange County District Attorney's Office announced, as reported by NY Post Metro.

The charges cover two separate alleged attacks spanning more than a decade. Prosecutors accuse Starnes of assaulting a fellow female officer in March 2007 and a second female department employee in March 2020.

In the first incident, Starnes — then a police officer and president of the local police union — allegedly kidnapped a female colleague as she was leaving a women's restroom at a bar in Stanton. He allegedly dragged her outside into the parking lot, where the assault continued until two fellow officers intervened.

The second alleged attack occurred while Starnes was driving a female department employee back from an "off probation" party at a Long Beach bar. According to prosecutors, the assault took place as the pair were en route to the Garden Grove Police Association Stress Release Center, described as "a makeshift bar/lounge for police personnel run by the police association."

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer addressed the significance of Starnes' former position directly. "The badge is not a shield from accountability, and we are grateful that these acts of sexual violence have finally come to light so that justice can be pursued on behalf of these victims who suffered in silence," Spitzer said. He added: "Sexual assault is an act of cowardice, and it takes incredible courage for victims to come forward and speak out against someone in a position of power."

Starnes joined the Garden Grove Police Department in 2005 after serving as a Riverside County sheriff's deputy. He later became president of the Garden Grove Police Officers' Association and was assigned to the department's Traffic Operations Unit as a sergeant in 2025. He retired in May 2026 while on administrative leave and under investigation for sexual harassment, prosecutors said.

At his Friday arraignment, Starnes pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains jailed on $5 million bail, according to the Los Angeles Times. His attorney, Brian Gurwitz, told the newspaper his client denies the allegations and was "eager for the truth to be presented in a courtroom."

If convicted on all counts, Starnes faces up to seven years to life, plus an additional 14 years in state prison.

The Garden Grove Police Department said it would continue cooperating with authorities as the investigation proceeds.

Source: NY Post Metro