MENDOCINO CO., 2/13/26 — A Lake County Sheriff’s Office corrections deputy from Willits was arrested Thursday on suspicion of sexually assaulting an inmate while on duty at a jail.
Daniel Constancio Jr., a 35-year-old Willits resident, was arrested for allegedly engaging in unlawful sexual conduct with a female inmate at the Hill Road Correctional Facility in 2024, according to a Facebook post by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
In September 2025, the Sheriff’s Office received a report that Constancio sexually assaulted an inmate at the jail the year before, and detectives in the office’s Major Crimes Unit opened an investigation into the alleged abuse. When the report was filed, Constancio was already on a legally protected leave of absence and was later put on administrative leave, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The victim was an inmate at the time of the alleged abuse but she has since been released.
On Thursday, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Constancio on suspicion of sexual battery, oral copulation with an inmate, and sexual activity with an adult in custody.
Constancio voluntarily surrendered on the same day and was booked into the Mendocino County Jail at 2:10 p.m. Thursday. He was released less than three hours later on $10,000 bail.
In a statement, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said that it “takes allegations of misconduct seriously and is committed to accountability, transparency, and the safety of those in our care. Any criminal behavior by an employee is a violation of the public trust and will be investigated thoroughly.”
Anyone who has more information on the case is asked to contact Detective Marcos De La Torre at (707) 262-4231.