California cop convicted of assaulting 5 women



WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A former Northern California police officer is facing the possibility of life behind bars after he was convicted of sexually assaulting five women while authorities said he was on patrol.

The Sacramento Bee reports (http://bit.ly/1jFSymO) that a Yolo County jury found Sergio Alvarez guilty on Thursday of 18 counts of kidnapping, rape and forced oral copulation. The jury could not reach a decision on ten other counts, including counts related to Alvarez's alleged attack on a sixth woman. Prosecutors said Alvarez, while serving as a West Sacramento police officer in 2011 and 2012, targeted drug addicts and prostitutes. He allegedly forced them to perform sex acts in his cruiser, back alleys and wooded lots. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 4 and faces the possibility of multiple life sentences.