What led to arrest of Valley Center cop accused of sex crimes

Investigators will continue conducting interviews next week in the case of a former Valley Center police sergeant suspected of sex crimes. Here’s some new information and a summary of the unfolding case:

What sparked the arrest? The arrest of Valley Center police Sgt. Thomas Delgado began with a complaint alleging that he possibly had inappropriate relationships with two Valley Center girls under 18, Sheriff Jeff Easter confirmed Friday.

The complaint went directly to the Sheriff’s Office around Dec. 2, resulting in a week-long initial investigation that also led to recovery of evidence, Easter said. He wouldn’t elaborate.

Continuing investigation: Two sheriff’s detectives are assigned to the case; others are assisting, Easter said.

Investigators will continue to conduct interviews on the case next week.

Investigators have yet to present their case to prosecutors, who will decide if charges will be filed.

Developments over the past week: Delgado, 49, has been released on bond after being arrested Dec. 8 on suspicion of official misconduct, rape, sexual battery and sexual exploitation of a child.

He hasn’t been reached for comment.

Delgado resigned the same day as his arrest. He worked a night patrol shift in Valley Center and had been with the department since April 2014, moving there from the Sheriff’s Office.

His police chief, Mark Hephner, resigned earlier this week. The voluntary resignation was related to the Delgado allegations, Valley Center City Administrator Scott Hildebrand said.

Pre-employment screening issue: Hildebrand said that before the Valley Center police chief hired Delgado, he should have obtained all of Delgado’s background information but didn’t. Delgado worked for the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office from 2000 to 2014 and received a heroism award for helping to pull a man from a burning truck.

Easter, the sheriff, has said that no one from the Valley Center Police Department sought the personnel and internal files on Delgado from his time at the Sheriff’s Office. Those files included a 2011 internal sheriff’s investigation that found that Delgado, who patrolled a southeast Sedgwick County beat, had spoken inappropriately about sex to a 16-year-old girl riding in his patrol car. At the time, Delgado served as a mentor to her. The Sheriff’s Office moved Delgado from patrol; he ended up in the offender registration unit.

The father of the girl has said that he called Hephner, the police chief, this summer to tell him about the incident involving Delgado and his daughter. Hephner then ordered Delgado to have have no more ride-alongs or contact with children, Hildebrand said.

One line of questioning: That 16-year-old who rode with Delgado in 2011 is now 21. She is among those who recently have been interviewed by sheriff’s detectives. One of the crimes that Delgado is suspected of, the Sheriff’s Office has said, is sexual exploitation of a child.

The woman who rode with Delgado as a teen said Friday that the sheriff’s detective interviewing her Wednesday asked two to three times if Delgado had ever asked her to send images of herself – “selfies” or inappropriate pictures.

The woman said her answer was “No.”

This story was originally published December 16, 2016 at 1:09 PM with the headline "What led to arrest of Valley Center cop accused of sex crimes."