Ex-Garden Grove police sergeant and union leader charged in two sexual assault cases

A former Garden Grove police sergeant who once led the officers' union is facing four felony charges and a potential life sentence in two separate sexual assault cases, the Orange County District Attorney's Office announced Oct. 30.

Charles "Chuck" William Starnes III, 52, was arrested on a warrant early Thursday, Oct. 29, by the U.S. Marshals Service with help from the California Highway Patrol. Both women he is accused of assaulting worked in law enforcement: one a fellow officer, the other a civilian police employee.

What prosecutors allege

The first case dates to March 2007. Prosecutors say Starnes sexually assaulted a female officer as she left the women's restroom of a bar in Stanton, then dragged her into the parking lot and continued the assault until two fellow officers stopped him.

The second allegedly happened in March 2020. According to the DA's office, Starnes sexually assaulted a female civilian police employee while driving her back from an "off probation" party at a Long Beach bar. Prosecutors say he was driving toward the Garden Grove Police Association's Stress Release Center, which the release describes as a makeshift bar and lounge for police personnel run by the association.

The charges

Starnes was charged Oct. 16, and an Orange County Superior Court judge unsealed the case Oct. 30. He is charged with kidnapping to commit a sex offense, sexual penetration by a foreign object by force, sexual penetration by a foreign object by intoxicating or controlled substance, and assault with intent to commit a sexual offense.

If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum of seven years to life in state prison, plus 14 years. Senior Deputy District Attorney Sarah Rahman of the DA's Sexual Assault Unit is prosecuting the case.

"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," District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in the release.

The charges are allegations. Starnes is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. The DA's release did not list an arraignment date, bail or attorney information.

Who is Starnes

According to the DA's office, Starnes was a Riverside County sheriff's deputy before joining the Garden Grove Police Department in 2005. He served as a sergeant in the department's Traffic Operations Unit from 2025 until he retired, and he previously served as president of the Garden Grove Police Officers' Association.

Prosecutors say he retired in May 2026 while on administrative leave and under investigation for sexual harassment.

Background

It is the second case this year in which Orange County prosecutors have filed sexual misconduct charges against a former Garden Grove officer. In July, former officer Roberto Machuca, who served as an advisor for the department's youth explorer program, was charged with felonies over an alleged sexual relationship with a 16-year-old explorer, ABC7 reported. Machuca pleaded not guilty.