FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — A former Fresno police officer has pleaded no contest to raping a female officer from a neighboring city while she was unconscious five years ago.
William Wyatt entered the plea Thursday in Fresno Superior Court. The 36-year-old is free on bond and will be sentenced July 14.
Wyatt’s lawyer, Mark Broughton, tells the Fresno Bee that his client accepted a plea agreement because it offered him “probation with no additional time in custody.”
Investigation began in January 2012, when Fresno’s chief learned of the allegation from the chief of police in the city of Reedley. A Reedley officer accused Wyatt of sexually assaulting her while she was passed out after drinking.
If Wyatt had been convicted at trial, he would have faced up to eight years in prison.
