Ex-Fresno County correctional officer accused of having sex with inmate agrees to plea deal
A former Fresno County Correctional officer accused of having sex with a jail inmate has agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors.
Tina Gonzalez, 26, of Lemoore pleaded no contest on Tuesday to one count of felony sexual activity by a detention facility employee with a consenting confined adult, one count of felony possession of drugs or alcoholic beverage in a jail facility and a misdemeanor count of possession of cellular device with intent to deliver to an inmate.
As part of the deal, prosecutor Vanessa Leona said two felony counts of having sex with an inmate were dropped, reducing her possible jail sentence from a maximum of five years in prison to a maximum of three years and eight months. Probation is also a possibility.
Gonzalez appeared in court via Zoom from her lawyer Martin Taleisnik’s office. She was arrested on May 1 of last year and has been out on bond.
Fresno County Sheriff’s vice unit and internal affairs began investigating Gonzalez in December 2019 after getting a tip that a jail staff member was having sex with an inmate and had given him a phone.
During the investigation, detectives learned Gonzalez had allegedly also smuggled alcohol into the jail.
Gonzalez resigned from the department after speaking with detectives. She had been a corrections officer since September 2016.
This story was originally published April 29, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
