Menifee Police officer Pesina now faces 15 criminal counts

By Doug Spoon, Editor

The District Attorney’s office on Monday nearly doubled the criminal charges against Menifee Police officer Juan Pesina, filing an amended complaint that increased the counts against him from eight to 15.

Pesina, who is on unpaid administrative leave from Menifee PD, was originally charged on Aug. 14 of eight felony counts including rape, sodomy, oral copulation, assault with intent to commit rape, and burglary in incidents involving two women in February 2023 and January 2024. He has been held without bail at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning since then, awaiting an arraignment that was posted until Monday.

At Monday’s hearing, the DA’s office filed an amended complaint that adds seven more charges and three more alleged female victims. According to court records, Pesina entered not guilty pleas to all 15 counts, including these additional charges filed on Monday:

-- On Aug. 3, 2025, Pesina allegedly extorted money and other property from a female victim by “means of a wrongful use of force and fear.” In a separate misdemeanor count related to the Aug. 3 incident, Pesina is accused of touching the same female “for the purpose of sexual arousal.”

-- A felony count alleges that on Sept. 11, 2023, Pesina touched a different female against her will for sexual arousal “while that person was unlawfully restrained by the defendant and an accomplice.” Pesina also faces a misdemeanor sex crime charge from that incident.

-- Another new felony count alleges that from about Nov. 1, 2024 through Dec. 31, 2024, Pesina asked for and agreed to receive a bribe to influence an official ruling that was pending. During the same time period, a separate felony count alleges that Pesina extorted money and other property from yet another female victim. A misdemeanor charge of sexual misconduct is related to that 2024 incident.

All these charges are in addition to the eight previous counts involving Pesina and two other female victims.

At Monday’s hearing, “The court reviewed the defense’s motion to reduce bail and decided that Mr. Pesina should remain in custody without bail,” said Molly Smith, public information officer for the DA’s office.

Following Pesina’s Aug. 12 arrest, multiple sources told Menifee 24/7 that Pesina was previously under investigation by the Menifee Police Department and had been placed on administrative leave for an undisclosed reason. Police Chief Chris Karrer had no comment at that time, writing in an email to Menifee 24/7 that “after review, we have determined that the requested records are exempt from disclosure under California law Pursuant to California Penal Code section 832.7(a). Personnel records of peace officers are deemed confidential and are not subject to public release.”

If that disciplinary action indeed occurred, it took place before Pesina was reinstated and allegedly committed the additional crimes in 2025.

In May of this year, Menifee 24/7 reported that multiple current and former Menifee Police Department officers had accused the department of covering up the results of an employee survey conducted in 2024 that described improper conduct by officers in positions of leadership. According to those sources, officers’ reviews of the department were so negative that city leaders have moved to keep them hidden, including a “cease and desist” letter from the city attorney to the author of the survey, who is on administrative leave.

The Menifee Police Department continues to deny Menifee 24/7 access to the survey results and other documents, in one case citing a government code saying that “the public interest served by
not disclosing the record clearly outweighs the public interest served by disclosure of the record.”
An attorney representing Menifee 24/7 continues to submit legal challenges to the City’s refusal to release records.

In addition to Pesina, Menifee 24/7 is aware of two other Menifee police officers who were recently placed on administrative leave during internal investigations. One is the officer who authored the employee survey, which sources say he had permission from leadership to do as a project for his PhD degree. He continues to be on paid administrative leave, sources confirmed. The other officer, who was on leave while being investigated for allegedly neglecting to file a police report on an incident, was recently given notice of termination.

Both of those officers have asked to remain anonymous for fear or further retaliation.