Part 12: Did A DHS Police Officer Get Away With Child Molestation?

NewsChannel 3 has obtained sworn testimony in which a Desert Hot Springs detective accuses a fellow officer of molesting a 14-year-old girl.

Detective Radames Gil says he videotaped Officer Jacques Million with the girl in a Desert Hot Springs hotel.

But according to the testimony, Officer Million was never punished and, instead, allowed to quit the force after making a deal with then-police Chief Roy Hill for testifying with other officers.

In sworn testimony, Gil describes what he says happened in July of 2003.

During a warrant search, a 14-year-old girl told Gil that Desert Hot Springs police officer Jacques Million wanted to have sex with her.

She said Million was telling her details of future police operations to impress her.

“He told my daughter all about the raids,” says the girl’s mother who wanted to remain anonymous. “He was going to be doing all the places that were going to be hit.”

A hotel on Palm Drive and 5th Avenue was set up with a video camera. In a camper parked in the hotel parking lot, Detective Gil monitored what went on inside as on-duty officer Jacques Million approached.

Officer million came in and didn’t spot the hidden camera. He gave up information about the latest search warrants when the girl asked.

Then he grabbed the girl from a chair and French-kissed her.

“He went right up to my daughter pretty much grabbed a hold of her, forced himself on her, and was telling her how much he wanted to make love to her.”

The police chief at the time, Roy Hill, also watched the video tape, according to Detective Gil.

Shortly afterwards, Hill signed a deal in which Million would be allowed to quietly leave the force.

In exchange he had to testify against Sergeant David Gallardo and three other officers who allegedly filed a false report when one of them got in a traffic collision at a Desert Hot Springs intersection.

“Even if anything they’re accusing us is true, you would not make a deal with a man,” says Gallardo, who is currently fighting to get his job back.

“This is sexual misconduct with a 14-year-old girl and then other victims, possibly half a dozen other victims out there. And just say here’s your immunity letter and just walk away. He was allowed to resign and left and they won’t be any permanent record or anything.?”

If the detective’s testimony is correct, then why did Roy Hill make any deal with an officer he saw on tape molest a 14-year-old girl?

Hill is now in charge of security at Palm Springs Unified School District. Does this deal mean he has the best interest of students in mind?

That will be seen later.

Million used to live in Calimesa, Murrieta and Temecula but was evicted from those homes.

He could not be reached for comment.

The District Attorney’s office never filed charges against Million. They said the tape was poor quality.

But two years later, court testimony shows that while there was minor interference it was of good enough quality for multiple people to make out the molestation.

The DA’s office then said the family was reluctant to be involved in prosecuting Million.

“That is so not true,” says the girl’s mother. “Because of what he did, his acts upon my daughter, it ruined her life.”

One former Desert Hot Springs officer is currently in jail for a different set of molestation charges.

The question remains if this leading detective goes on record saying that molestation happened in this hotel — why isn’t anybody being charged with that crime?

The 14-year-old who is the focus of this investigation is now 18. She did not want to talk on camera and says that she is trying but finding it difficult to move on in life after her molestation by a police officer.