Ex-Police Sergeant Arrested for Kidnapping, Sexually Assaulting Colleagues

A former Garden Grove police sergeant has been arrested and charged with kidnapping and sexually assaulting two female colleagues in separate alleged incidents dating back over a decade.

Charles "Chuck" William Starnes III, 52, was taken into custody on Oct. 29 by the U.S. Marshals Service. He faces four felony charges, including multiple counts of sexual assault and kidnapping, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

The alleged attacks occurred in March 2007 and March 2020. In the first incident, Starnes, then a police officer and president of the local police union, is accused of kidnapping a female colleague as she exited a women's restroom at a bar in Stanton. Prosecutors allege he dragged her to the parking lot, where the assault continued until two fellow officers intervened.

The second alleged assault involved a female department employee in March 2020. Prosecutors stated the attack took place while Starnes was driving the employee back from a party at a Long Beach bar to the Garden Grove Police Association Stress Release Center, a lounge for police personnel.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer emphasized that Starnes's position did not grant him immunity. "The badge is not a shield from accountability, and we are grateful that these acts of sexual violence have finally come to light so that justice can be pursued on behalf of these victims who suffered in silence," Spitzer said in a statement. "Sexual assault is an act of cowardice, and it takes incredible courage for victims to come forward and speak out against someone in a position of power."

Starnes joined the Garden Grove Police Department in 2005, having previously served as a Riverside County sheriff’s deputy. He later became president of the Garden Grove Police Officers’ Association and was promoted to sergeant in the department’s Traffic Operations Unit. He retired in May 2026 while on administrative leave and under investigation for sexual harassment.

Starnes pleaded not guilty to all charges during his arraignment and is being held on $5 million bail. His attorney, Brian Gurwitz, told the Los Angeles Times that his client denies the allegations and is "eager for the truth to be presented in a courtroom."

The Garden Grove Police Department stated it would continue cooperating with authorities as the investigation progresses. If convicted on all counts, Starnes faces a potential sentence of seven years to life, plus an additional 14 years in state prison.