San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins declared victory after a jury found a city police officer guilty of sexual battery in an incident involving unwanted advances at a Marina District bar. Officer Michael Herrera, 31, faces up to a year behind bars and a mandate of a decade on the sex offender registry, as reported by the San Francisco District Attorney's Office.

"I would like to thank the jury for their service in this case and for their verdict that holds Officer Herrera accountable for his conduct," Jenkins said. This conviction results from a troubling episode dating back to December 10, 2021, when a woman, accompanied by her husband to a bar on Lombard Street, asked Herrera, who casually displayed his affiliation with the SFPD, to share a booth.

According to court testimony, Herrera, after flaunting photographs of himself with other officers, crossed a line — he forcibly touched the woman's inner thigh and later her vaginal area. The distraught victim screamed and immediately reported the transgression to authorities. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Curtis Boyd of the Independent Investigations Bureau, with assistance from investigators, paralegals, victim advocates, and IT support who secured the jury's decision against Herrera.

"The jury’s thoughtful verdict sends the message that no one is above the law and that the residents of San Francisco will not tolerate sexual abuse anywhere in any form by anyone," stated ADA Boyd, grateful for the victim's brave testimony — a central component to the trial's resolution. While currently out of custody, Herrera awaits his sentencing on May 8, which may include jail time and a mandatory registration as a sex offender, according to the same press release.