Michigan deputy charged with sexually assaulting, kidnapping woman after shoplifting arrest
FLINT, Mich. December 30 2018- George Charles Zofchak II, a 40-year-old Genesee County Sheriff’s Department deputy, was charged Friday with sexually assaulting and kidnapping a woman he had arrested on Christmas Eve for shoplifting.
According to authorities, Zofchak was dispatched to the Walmart store on Linden Road in Vienna Township for a suspected shoplifting incident. A man was pulled from a vehicle and placed under arrest. His girlfriend was told she was also being arrested for shoplifting.
Prosecutors said Zofchak handcuffed the woman, placed her in his patrol vehicle and later sexually assaulted her.
The incident was reported to authorities on Christmas Day. An investigation led the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department to seek charges from prosecutor David Leyton against Zofchak.
“Nobody is above the law and that especially includes sworn police officers,” Leyton said. “The public expects and relies on law enforcement to protect us from the criminal element. When the roles are reversed, the public trust is broken.”
Zofchak was charged with one count of criminal sexual conduct first degree, one count of kidnapping and one count of misconduct in office. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
“It is imperative that we proceed in a swift and stern manner to see that the perpetrator is held accountable for his actions, justice is served, and the public trust restored,” Leyton said.
