Lawsuit: Solano deputy ‘thought she was going to die’ when colleague raped her

FAIRFIELD - A Solano County Sheriff’s deputy sued the department, claiming that she was repeatedly and violently raped and abused by a senior deputy and faced retaliation for reporting it. 

In a federal civil lawsuit filed in October, the deputy, who is identified as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, claims that senior Deputy John Robertson raped, assaulted, harassed and retaliated against her for years. She alleges that former Sheriff Thomas Ferrara, current Sheriff Brad DeWall and Capt. Jackson Harris were aware of her claims and aided in retaliation against her. At the time of the investigation, Ferrara was sheriff and DeWall was serving as undersheriff.

The lawsuit argues that the case calls into question how the county and sheriff’s office treat women employees and sexual assault victims. 

“Simply put, defendants … in the face of known gender violence, harassment, and other wrongful conduct, failed to implement the policies and practices necessary to protect those who are harmed, specifically women,” the lawsuit states.

Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Rex Hawkins said in an email that the county typically does not comment on active litigation. However, he added, “The county denies the allegations in the complaint.”

“Because the alleged conduct was reported to have occurred within the jurisdiction of another law-enforcement agency, that agency conducted an independent criminal investigation,” Hawkins wrote. “Upon conclusion of the investigative process, the matter was submitted to the District Attorney’s Office, which declined criminal charges.”

The office has previously faced allegations of misconduct and internal sexual harassment, such as in a case alleging that Sgt. Jason Speakman harassed a dispatcher. Ferrera also was involved in that case’s handling, when he set aside an internal affairs recommendation that Speakman be fired and gave him just six months’ leave. The dispatcher sued the county, but a jury found that Speakman had not harassed the dispatcher. Ferrara said in deposition testimony played during the trial that he believed Speakman’s conduct was consensual.

Robertson has been employed with the sheriff’s office since 2018. In June 2022 – about two months before the first rape alleged in the lawsuit – he shot and killed Jason Thompson after Thompson approached Robertson and two other deputies with a reciprocating saw blade.

The lawsuit alleges that the deputy faced multiple years of harassment and abuse starting with her employment in October 2021 when she was assigned to the Solano County Superior Court in Fairfield as a bailiff during her pre-field training period. 

She alleged that Robertson became her de facto supervisor and began controlling her breaks and meals during her probationary period, and “exploited this vulnerability” starting in November 2021 with invitations to outings and to his home. The lawsuit alleges he would tell her he was “the only one” she could trust, telling her not to speak to other deputies about any workplace frustrations. 

He also made inappropriate sexual comments at work, including how he would view “violent porn” on his department-issued phone and would masturbate during his shift, and would become jealous about her interactions with other men or joke about wanting to rape her “gay friend,” the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit alleges that in August 2022, Robertson pressured the deputy to visit him at his home and subsequently raped and strangled her. This began a period of emotional and psychological trauma, as Robertson for several months would “control, intimidate, sexually assault, strangle, and rape” her eight times, including a violent assault she said took place in November 2022 when she thought she would die from strangulation, the lawsuit alleges.

During this period, Robertson would intimidate the deputy in the workplace by joking in front of her and other deputies about reports of domestic violence and sexual assault, the lawsuit alleges. In June 2023, after an out- of-town training, Robertson became inebriated, drove the deputy to his rental and forced her to his bed, the lawsuit alleges. When she demanded that he release her, he refused, and she escaped by twisting his thumb backwards and breaking free from his grip, according to the lawsuit

The lawsuit alleges that the deputy reported the assaults and rapes on Dec. 18, 2024, to the Vacaville Police Department. After the department opened a case, Robertson was placed on administrative leave, according to the lawsuit 

She then faced a pattern of retaliatory conduct designed to punish her for reporting harassment, which she said felt designed to ultimately force her to resign, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that Robertson was allowed to contact witnesses and told colleagues that she was “a liar,” while Ferrara and DeWall hired Brian Addington of WBA Consulting and Investigation Services to conduct a third-party internal affairs investigation. 

The lawsuit alleges that the investigation was “sloppy, inadequate, and heavily biased in favor of Robertson,” and that Addington did not interview her until May 16, 2025, months after determining that the allegations were “non-terminable” and reinstating Robertson. Ferrara, DeWall and Harris also failed to report Robertson to the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training within the 10-day timeframe, until she filed her own complaint directly with POST, the lawsuit states. 

Addington previously cleared Robertson of misconduct in another case, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that confidential information about the details of the investigation was spread throughout the county by upper-level officers as the deputy faced bullying and isolation from her colleagues. She said this led to damages to her professional reputation, unsafe and hostile working conditions and restricted career advancement opportunities.

Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that Robertson violated a mutual “stay-away” order multiple times once he was reinstated, as he was assigned to overlapping shifts with the deputy, leaving her unable to apply for SWAT team or firearms instructors positions or attend the same trainings as Robertson. 

The lawsuit alleges that the county also imposed a gag order on the deputy in June to never discuss the events with anyone except internal affairs Sgt. Eduardo Borrego, one of the deputies who was present when Robertson shot Thompson, who was later removed from the investigation. 

The lawsuit alleges that, to date, Robertson has not been subject to any discipline. Robertson’s influence and power contributed to the situation, as his father, John Robertson Sr., was Napa County Sheriff from 2012-2021 and may be a close friend of Ferrara’s, the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit demands damages and a jury trial with punitive and injunctive relief, accusing the county and defendants of multiple counts including violating the deputy’s First and 14th Amendment rights, sexual harassment in the workplace, sexual battery, retaliation for opposing unlawful practices and failure to prevent harassment.