King County deputy accused of raping 17-year-old girl
King County deputy charged with rape of a minor
King County Sheriff's deputy Ricardo Cueva is charged with raping a 17-year-old girl he met through a youth program.
BURIEN, Wash. - A King County Sheriff's deputy has been charged with allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl.
Ricardo Cueva is facing charges of third-degree rape and first-degree sexual misconduct with minor.
The alleged incidents occurred back in 2017 and 2018, when Cueva was lead of the King County Sheriff's Explorer Program at the Burien Police Department.
The Explorer Program had the goal of connecting young adults ages 14 to 21 with law enforcement.
Court documents state Cueva met the victim through the program, accused of having sexual relations with the victim multiple times, sometimes while still in uniform.
The Burien City Council previously awarded Cueva with Employee of the Year for 2018. The victim said the award made her even more fearful of coming forward with the allegations, worrying that no one would believe her.
Cueva was also the subject of another sexual misconduct case in 2014, accused of touching a 10-year-old girl, according to court documents. The sheriff's office ultimately found no evidence and dismissed the case.
A judge set Cueva's bail at $150,000 on Friday. He was placed on administrative leave.
The King County Sheriff's Office released the following statement in full on Saturday morning.
What they're saying:
"Friday a member of the King County Sheriff’s Office turned himself into Seattle Police.
He was immediately placed on administrative leave, where he will remain while this matter is under investigation, both by Seattle Police and our Internal Investigations Unit.
The King County Sheriff’s Office takes any allegations of criminal misconduct very seriously and we will work closely and diligently with our law enforcement partners as this matter unfolds."
The Source: Information in this story is from court documents obtained through King County Superior Court, the Burien City Council and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
Homicide investigation underway after 5-year-old dies in Federal Way, WA
Major 5-day SR 18 closure at I-90 in Snoqualmie, WA
Alaska man pinned by 700-pound boulder for 3 hours walks away unharmed
Why hasn’t anyone been charged in Seattle clash arrests? What we know
Mandatory driver’s education to expand under new Washington law
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.