San Francisco prosecutors charged a sheriff’s deputy on Monday after a woman held at County Jail No. 2 reported being grabbed, officials say. The accused, identified as 51-year-old Nanette Musto, faces misdemeanor battery and assault-by-a-public-officer counts after the inmate said she was touched without consent. Prosecutors say the episode was caught on jail surveillance video and has intensified scrutiny of conditions at the city’s women’s lockup.
According to a press release from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, Musto is charged with battery (Pen. Code §242) and one misdemeanor count of assault by a public officer (Pen. Code §149). The DA says the alleged incident happened on July 12, 2025, and that Musto was scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday at 9 AM in Department 17 at the Hall of Justice. The office listed the court number and asked anyone with information to contact investigators.
Local reporting places the charge in a broader pattern of complaints about the Sheriff’s Office. The San Francisco Chronicle notes the complainant said she felt humiliated and embarrassed, and that the department has previously faced allegations and internal probes over conduct at County Jail No. 2. Earlier coverage shows a deputy was fired last fall after a separate allegation of sexual misconduct at the same facility.
The charge also arrives in the middle of ongoing civil litigation. Regional reporting has documented at least two federal lawsuits filed this spring that allege abusive mass strip searches and unconstitutional conditions at the jail. The Sheriff’s Office has said it takes all misconduct allegations seriously, while the deputy union told local outlets it will provide representation and stressed that members are entitled to due process as the criminal case unfolds.
What Prosecutors Say and Next Steps
Prosecutors say court documents describe Musto asking the inmate whether she had surgically augmented her body and then, without permission or lawful necessity, reaching out and touching the woman’s breast. The DA’s announcement states that the case remains an active investigation while the criminal charges move through the courts. The press release also lists the case number and contact information for investigators.
Legal Implications
Battery is defined under California law as the willful and unlawful use of force on another person; see Penal Code §242 from the California Legislature. Penal Code §149 makes it a crime for a public officer to assault or beat a person under color of authority without lawful necessity, a provision prosecutors can use when the accused is a sworn employee. Battery is commonly prosecuted as a misdemeanor but can be elevated in certain circumstances, while a conviction under section 149 carries separate penalties intended to hold officials to a higher standard.
The arraignment was set for Tuesday at the Hall of Justice, and the case will proceed through the normal court calendar while the investigation continues. Anyone with information about the matter has been asked to contact the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Unit at 1-415-558-4411, per local reporting, and Musto is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
