The Garden Grove police officer accused of having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl has been officially charged with multiple felony, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.
Roberto Machuca, 32, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to several sex crimes involving a minor after he was initially arrested in connection with the alleged inappropriate relationship with the teen, who participated in in the department’s police explorer program.
Machuca, who began working for the Garden Grove Police Department in 2019, previously served as an advisor to the explorer program, in which people ages 14 and 21 volunteer with the department and learn about careers in law enforcement.
Machuca was no longer an employee at the Garden Grove Police Department, the district attorney’s office said.
Investigators believe the former officer had “several sexual encounters” with the teenager beginning in May 2026.
“Law enforcement officers occupy a position of immense trust, and he exploited that trust to take advantage of a child for his own sexual gratification,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “That conduct will never be tolerated among the ranks of those sworn to protect and serve, and justice will be pursued to the fullest extent.”
The district attorney’s office said once the department became aware of the alleged relationship, it placed Machuca on leave on June 26. When he showed up to his shift the next day, he was arrested, according to Spitzer’s office.
If convicted on all charges, Machuca faces a maximum sentence of five years in state prison. He would also be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.
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