Officer Arrested On Suspicion Of Sexually Assaulting A Female Inmate

A rookie Tucson police officer has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a female inmate at the Pima County Jail. Police spokesman Chris Widmer says Benjamin Gaballa, who was terminated after the allegations surfaced last month, was taken into custody on Wednesday.  According to Widmer, the former officer is charged with two counts each of sexual abuse and sexual assault.

“It’s a hard blow for the department,” Widmer said. “It’s not representative of all of our other members who put their lives at risk for this community everyday.”

Widmer says the police department’s Office of Internal Affairs conducted both a criminal and an administration investigation after a female who had been booked into the jail, made allegations against the officer. Gaballa was terminated from the police force on Aug. 22.