Who is Gregory Beaumarchais? California ‘Detective of the Year’ sent sexually explicit texts in child sex sting
ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: A veteran police officer who was named "Detective of the Year” in 2019 has been accused of exchanging sexually explicit messages with someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl. Gregory Daniel Beaumarchais, 43, is now facing a misdemeanor charge of annoying or molesting a victim believed to be under the age of 18, Orange County District Attorney officials have confirmed.
“Police officers are entrusted with the sacred responsibility to safeguard society from harm,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. “It is beyond disturbing that a sworn police officer would engage in inappropriate conversations with someone he believed to be a child. Our children should not have to worry about being preyed upon by the very people we teach them who are there to protect them.”
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Who is Gregory Daniel Beaumarchais?
Gregory Daniel Beaumarchais has worked with the Santa Ana Police Department for about 11 years. He was part of the Santa Ana Police Department’s “Major Enforcement Team", which responds to various crimes in the city, including gangs, gun trafficking, and narcotics.
Between December 2021 and January 2022, Gregory exchanged sexually explicit messages with a civilian decoy on a social media platform, prosecutors said. When the provider cut off access to his social media, Gregory created another account under a similar user name, Orange County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Kimberly Edds told New York Post. Gregory would send sexually explicit messages to the civilian decoy while he was on duty, Edds said.
Non-profit organization Orange County Crime Stoppers was approached by the decoy, who opened up about the sexually graphic messages she had received from someone she believed was a police officer. Subsequently, the US Department of Homeland Security assisted in the investigation.
Gregory turned himself in on Tuesday, August 2, after a warrant was issued for his arrest, and was then released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court for his arraignment on October 13. Santa Ana Police officials said that he has been placed on administrative leave.
Santa Ana Police Department officials said in a statement on August 2 that they learned about Gregory's “potential criminal conduct” late last week. “Upon assessing the information, the Department’s Internal Affairs Unit determined the matter to be criminal in nature and the Police Department took immediate and swift action in referring these allegations to the appropriate local and federal authorities,” Santa Ana Police officials said. “Our department learned of this information on a Friday, and the following Monday, we directly engaged with federal partners to initiate a criminal investigation.” If Gregory is convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of one year in Orange County Jail. He would also be required to register as a sex offender.