Rape Case Officer Was Target of Other Inquiry, Memo Says

VENTURA —  The lead detective in a multiple rape case was himself investigated last fall for allegedly sexually molesting two teenage girls, according to confidential documents obtained Wednesday.

Even though Ventura County prosecutors concluded that no criminal charges can be filed against former Det. Gregory W. Irvine of the Ventura Police Department, the development could undermine a case against an Ojai man suspected of raping three elderly women last summer.

Irvine’s attorney, James Farley, said the 47-year-old former officer, who resigned in February, is innocent.

“I don’t care what the D.A.’s investigator came up with; my position is very simple,” Farley said. “[The allegations] are absolutely untrue.”

But the county prosecutor who investigated Irvine concluded that the veteran officer probably committed criminal acts over a nine-year period but cannot be charged because the provable offenses occurred so long ago.

“There can be little doubt that Greg Irvine engaged in criminal sexual behavior . . . over a significant period of time,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Dee Corona wrote in a December memo to her superior, Chief Assistant Dist. Atty. Kevin J. McGee.

“Regretfully, these incidents cannot be prosecuted due to statutes of limitations and emotional problems [by one girl] . . . which were most likely created by Irvine’s conduct,” Corona wrote.

Prosecutors maintained in court Tuesday that their case against accused rapist Peter A. Stocks will hold up without Irvine’s testimony.

But in a second confidential memo, a prosecutor close to the rape case informed Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury in January that Irvine’s testimony was essential to the Stocks prosecution.

“In addition to being the investigating officer for one of the three cases, Det. Irvine played a crucial role in obtaining a confession from the defendant,” wrote Deputy Dist. Atty. Patricia Kelliher. “Since none of the victims can identify their assailant, the confession is ‘the case.’ ”

Irvine arrested Stocks in August and interviewed him for four hours at the Ventura Police Department. During that videotaped interview, Stocks confessed to two of the rapes, according to testimony by Irvine at a preliminary hearing.

Kelliher argued in Superior Court this week that the allegations against Irvine should have no bearing on the tape’s validity.

But defense attorney Susan Olson said Irvine’s arrest of Stocks was improper because the unemployed construction worker was not properly read his Miranda rights. She is asking that the videotaped confession be ruled inadmissible and intends to question Irvine’s credibility.

In her memo, Corona said that on 10 occasions, Irvine allegedly molested the girls, one of whom was 12 years old at the time of the first encounter. The alleged molestation included nude massages and fondling, according to the memo.