Woman sues in Tulare County deputy sex assault case

A woman who reported being sexually assaulted by an on-duty Tulare County Sheriff’s deputy is filing a civil rights lawsuit against the sheriff’s department, Tulare County and the deputy.

The lawsuit states that the woman is a victim of assault, battery, sexual battery, false imprisonment, emotional distress, violation of civil rights, and negligent hiring and training by the sheriff’s department, and seeks unspecified damages.

The lawsuit will be filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Fresno, attorney Brian Kabateck of Los Angles said Wednesday.

The lawsuit and one filed two months ago on behalf of four other alleged victims of deputy William Nulick, 44, expose an atmosphere of lax oversight at the sheriff’s department, Kabateck said.

“He only worked there three years,” Kabateck said, but had at least five alleged victims. “I don’t think this guy Nulick was able to do this without serious problems in the department.”

Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said the department is a professional organization that employs hundreds, with mandatory psychological and background checks required to be hired.

“Everyone in the department was horrified by the acts of a sole deputy,” he said. “It tarnished what we do to build trust with the community.”

Nulick has been charged with sexual assault under color of authority, kidnapping and other charges. He is out of jail on bail and resigned from the sheriff’s department.

The alleged incident happened in Oct. 4, 2013. Nulick was arrested three days later.

The lawsuit reveals new details about what allegedly happened that day. The woman’s name has not been made public because she’s an alleged victim of sexual assault.

The woman, 38, who speaks only Spanish, said Wednesday that she is a resident of Visalia, a mother of three children and has worked as a farm laborer.

“I don’t want this to happen to anyone,” she said.

She said was on her way home from visiting friends in Monson, a tiny community in northern Tulare County, when the deputy pulled her over.

She had never seen him before, she said. He spoke to her in broken Spanish.

He asked for her driver’s license and registration. She said she did not have a driver’s license. He told her that was a “big problem” and to step out of the car, the lawsuit said.

Nulick asked if she had any drugs while pointing at her breasts, then groped her breasts from behind using the palms of his hands, and groped her vagina and buttocks, the lawsuit states.

He said he could have her car towed and asked what she would to do avoid a ticket. She replied “that she would thank him for his courtesy,” the lawsuit states.

Nulick said he did not want a thank you and told her he wanted to have sex with her. She started to cry and said “No,” the lawsuit said. He told her she had five minutes to decide, or he’d arrest her.

She followed him to a secluded area in an orchard, where he propositioned her but she refused, the lawsuit said.

He then forced her to perform oral sex, the lawsuit states. After she cleaned herself with a tissue, he took it from her to conceal the evidence and told her she was free to go.

The next day, she reported the incident to authorities.

A sheriff’s investigator used video surveillance tape from a Monson market and GPS tracking information on the patrol car to put him at the scene, and he was arrested.

The criminal case against Nulick is still proceeding, and he is due in court next week.

This story was originally published September 9, 2015 at 6:34 PM with the headline "Woman sues in Tulare County deputy sex assault case."