Former Police Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Sex Crime; District Attorney Jason Anderson Responds

On March 2, 2021, Jason James Bemowski (Age 40 of Redlands) pleaded guilty to having sexual intercourse with a person under 18-years-of-age. When Mr. Bemowski committed this crime in 2019, he was an off-duty police officer with the Chino Police Department.

THE INVESTIGATION

In the early part of 2019, the Roseville Police Department was conducting a human trafficking investigation involving a 16-year-old female victim. Through the investigation, evidence and statements were obtained identifying Mr. Bemowski as a suspect of soliciting a prostitute. Since Mr. Bemowski was a resident of Redlands, the Redlands Police Department assisted the Roseville Police Department in this investigation.

“The men and women in San Bernardino County who proudly wear the badge, perform the duties of, and hold the title of peace officer have zero tolerance for officers who violate the public’s trust by committing unsavory crimes such as those by Mr. Bemowski. While I will always support our law enforcement officers and agencies, and stand behind them when others will not, I will also ensure that all who take an oath to uphold the law do so in their own lives and positions as well, and will be held accountable when they do wrong. No one gets treated differently due to their status or identity. We must recognize it was law enforcement officers who investigated one of their own and were not persuaded in any manner to ‘cover-up’ or ‘look the other way’ to protect a fellow peace officer.”

– District Attorney Jason Anderson

ARREST AND CHARGES

With zero-tolerance for this type of conduct by one of their own, the Chino Police Department fully cooperated with the investigation. Mr. Bemowski was arrested at the Chino Police Department on March 7, 2019.

Special prosecutors with the human trafficking unit of the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office were assigned to the case. On October 28, 2019 the following charges were filed against Mr. Bemowski:

Penal Code Section 288.3(a) – Contact with A Minor For A Sexual Offense
Every person who contacts or communicates with a minor, or attempts to contact or communicate with a minor, who knows or reasonably should know that the person is a minor, with intent to commit an offense specified in Section 207, 209, 261, 264.1, 273a, 286, 287, 288, 288.2, 289, 311.1, 311.2, 311.4 or 311.11, or former Section 288a, involving the minor shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for the term prescribed for an attempt to commit the intended offense.

Penal Code Section 261.5 (c) – Unlawful Sexual Intercourse
Any person who engages in an act of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor who is more than three years younger than the perpetrator is guilty of either a misdemeanor or a felony, and shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170.

PROSECUTION AND COURT CASE

Mr. Bemowski wanted to resolve the case by pleading guilty to a felony violation of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and agreed to serve three years of supervised formal felony probation. This allowed the prosecution team to avoid having the victim recount the traumatic and embarrassing elements of the crime and to ensure a conviction. The felony conviction precludes Mr. Bemowski from ever holding the title of police officer again.

Sentencing is tentatively scheduled for April 27, 2021.

CASE INFORMATION

DA Case Number: 2019-00-0049319
Court Case Number: FSB19003714
View Superior Court Case Information
View Charging Document

CONTACT INFORMATION

For any questions regarding the original investigation, please contact Public Information Officer Rob Baquera with the Roseville Police Department at rbaquera@roseville.ca.us.

For questions regarding the prosecution of this case, please contact Public Affairs Officer Mike Bires at mbires@sbcda.org.