SJ officer accused of molestation released on bail

GILROY, Calif. (KGO) -- A San Jose police officer is facing charges of unlawful sex activity with a 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy. He was released after posting $100,000 bail early this morning.

Forty-four-year-old Patrick D'Arrigo is scheduled to be arraigned at 10:30 a.m. Friday in Santa Clara County. Up until 2007, D'Arrigo was the campus police officer at Leland High School in San Jose. He was in that position for 11 years.

Gilroy police have been investigating D'Arrigo for two years. A witness came forward on Wednesday which led to the indictment. He was arrested when he came to work at San Jose Police headquarters Wednesday afternoon.

D'Arrigo lives in Gilroy and is a 17 year veteran of the force. He was fired in 2008 for trying to cover up a fellow officer's drunk-driving crash, but after arbitration D'Arrigo was reinstated in December of last year.

San Jose police knew of the molestation investigation, but nothing had been proven, so he was allowed to remain on the force.

"A lot of times an investigation is initiated and it may not come to fruition because of various reasons and a lot of times legalities, and so unless we have information otherwise, we are not able to put an officer on leave or terminate his employment," said San Jose Police Officer Jose Garcia.

A spokesperson for the San Jose Unified School District said there were no reports of problems with him. His neighbors said he did little to draw attention.

"Where does the investigation go from here? It's wrapped up at the house. What do you do now?" asked ABC7's Terry McSweeney.

"It rests in the hands of the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office. We have been working closely with the district attorney's office regarding this case and we are moving forward with the prosecution phase of the case," said Gilroy Police Sgt. Chad Gallacinao.

Anyone who wishes to contact the Gilroy Police Department about the allegations against D'Arrigo may call 408-846-0350.

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san jose, gilroy, south bay news, terry mcsweeney

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