Third sexual misconduct complaint filed against Stockton police officer

A new civil complaint has been filed against Stockton Police Sgt. Nicholas Bloed, who is accused of sexual misconduct while on duty by multiple women.

A woman who filed a complaint June 23 is the third to come forward with sexual misconduct allegations against Bloed, who is on paid leave.

Only one of the women has been named in the complaints.

Dan Gilleon, the San Diego-based attorney representing the alleged victims, described Bloed’s actions as “rape.” He commended the Stockton Police Department on their handling of the complaints but questioned why the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s office has not yet filed charges.

“I’ve never seen a case get this developed as far as evidence without charges being filed,” Gilleon said. “When there’s multiple victims and the evidence is overwhelming, the DA has to come down hard on the cops. They have to, because it is a rip in the fabric of our democracy if they don’t do that.”

The Stockton Police Department said they are still conducting an active investigation into Bloed, who is still on paid administrative leave. The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office told the Record they have not received any report from Stockton Police and cannot determine if charges are warranted against Bloed until the report is received.

Gilleon said that one of the women he’s representing has been working directly with law enforcement, resulting in a series of incriminating texts between the alleged victim and Bloed, including graphic sexual image and text exchanges.

Jane Doe 2, the woman who filed the second sexual misconduct complaint against Bloed in May, said the lack of accountability for the law enforcement officer that sexually violated her disgusts her.

“I don’t know which police officers to trust,” Doe 2 said in an interview. “When I see an officer it makes me uncomfortable.”

Gilleon has filed three tort claims — civil liability claims for money or damages — with the Stockton City Attorney. He said these claims serve as a precursor to civil lawsuits. The first claim, filed May 10, has reached a 45-day threshold, enabling Gilleon to file a civil lawsuit. Gilleon said he has not received a response from the City Attorney, the District Attorney has not filed charges, and he next plans to go to Attorney General Rob Bonta.

“If (the DA) had some good reasons for not going after the sergeant then she should be explaining that right now. But we’re left to speculate, and because there’s no other explanation, that it’s just purely political,” Gilleon said. “(Bloed’s) been doing this for a long, long time … if criminal charges aren’t filed, the vast majority of victims won’t even hear about it. They’ll say, ‘I’m going to stay silent, because it’s not worth the risk.’”

The allegations came during a hotly contested primary race between incumbent District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar — who’s prosecuted 23 police officers in San Joaquin County since 2015 — and Deputy District Attorney Ron Freitas, who won the election with over 54% of the vote with endorsements and financial backing from law enforcement unions across the county.

Allegations 

The first woman to report Bloed for alleged sexual misconduct was 51-year-old housekeeper Angela Pelligra on May 10. Pelligra said she had been continually pulled over and harassed — both in person and by text — by Bloed for months, including multiple instances of him ordering her to drive to Van Buskirk Community Center and chasing off civilians in the parking lot before having unprotected sex with Pelligra while on duty.

Jane Doe 2, a single mother who lives in Stockton with four of her five adult children and her disabled mother, came forward with sexual misconduct allegations against Bloed May 18. Her allegations involve a third Jane Doe, whose complaint came in the tort claim released June 23. Both had engaged in sex work and found themselves together in a Stockton motel room with Bloed in Feb. 2022, where he engaged in sexual intercourse on-duty with Jane Doe 2 while Jane Doe 3 took pictures for Bloed. Jane Doe 3 alleges Bloed had been harassing her and sexually violating her for several years.

In 2014, Bloed received an employee of the month award from the Stockton Police Department in his role training new police officers.

Record reporter Ben Irwin covers Stockton and San Joaquin County government. He can be reached at birwin@recordnet.com or on Twitter @B1rwin. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow. 

CORRECTION: June 30, 2022

Incorrect information was included in the initial online version of this story. The error has been corrected.

This article originally appeared on The Record: 3rd woman accuses Stockton PD officer Bloed of sexual misconduct