A former Border Patrol agent in San Diego, Juan Prishker, faces serious allegations including sexual battery and false imprisonment, as detailed in a preliminary hearing on Friday.
The court heard testimony from a woman identified as Jane Doe, who accused Prishker of inappropriately touching her in a 2022 incident after she crossed the border from Mexico into the United States.
Doe was the first of four individuals to testify as Judge David Berry assessed whether sufficient evidence exists for the case to proceed to trial.
Charges against Prishker include one felony count of sexual battery, one felony count of false imprisonment, and four misdemeanor counts related to obscene matters regarding incidents that different individuals allege occurred between December 2022 and January 2024.
However, Judge Berry dismissed the misdemeanor charges, determining that evidence presented did not meet the necessary criteria for such accusations.
Despite the dismissal of misdemeanors, Judge Berry found probable cause for the two felony counts, which involve serious allegations made by Doe and aid worker Karen Parker.
Parker testified that Prishker blocked her between vehicles after showing her explicit photographs while she was seeking help for a migrant family.
Parker recounted that although Prishker did not use physical force, he menaced her by resting his hand on his service weapon.
“He is a uniformed federal officer on duty and someone has come to him for help,” Judge Berry stated while declining a motion from Prishker’s attorney to downgrade the charges to misdemeanors.
Public attention on Prishker heightened after a June inewsource investigation looked into Parker’s allegations and a video released online that appeared to show Prishker sharing explicit images with a group of vloggers.
Prishker has since resigned from his position with the Border Patrol.
The preliminary hearing revealed new accusations from Doe, detailing an encounter with Prishker that reportedly took place a year prior to Parker’s allegations.
During her testimony, Doe stated that she was stopped by two Border Patrol agents after crossing the border, leading to a search by Prishker.
With her hands against a patrol van, Doe alleged that Prishker touched her breasts under her clothing for approximately two minutes before continuing his search on her legs over her clothes.
Doe expressed fear during the encounter, saying, “To be honest I was scared. I felt fear,” through an interpreter.
She mentioned witnessing Prishker perform similar actions with another woman who was also being searched before they were both transported to an immigration facility without being handcuffed.
While headed to the facility, Doe recalled another woman asking her if she experienced the same inappropriate touching.
Upon arrival, Doe reported the incident to immigration officials.
Prishker’s defense attorney, Kerry Armstrong, sought to challenge the validity of Doe’s account regarding the duration of the alleged contact and details in official reports.
Armstrong’s questioning led to a discussion about whether Doe had requested to be released during the encounter and details surrounding the alleged incident with the other woman.
Throughout her testimony, Doe appeared timid, seldom making eye contact except when directly asked to identify Prishker, whom she pointed out from across the courtroom.
Further testimonies included Karen Parker, who explained her interactions with Prishker.
Parker’s account took place near the border in December 2023 when she was aiding migrants.
Under examination, she described how Prishker allegedly showed her explicit photos while blocking her near their vehicles at night.
“What he did to me was vulgar. He scared me to death. Showing me a picture of his private parts and speaking like a psychotic person,” Parker remarked in court.
Armstrong also scrutinized Parker’s narrative across various accounts, questioning discrepancies related to the blocking allegation not mentioned in initial law enforcement documents.
Parker had previously filed a civil lawsuit claiming damages for emotional distress, negligence, and false imprisonment against Prishker and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is ongoing.
Additionally, the court heard from Robert Hopper, a criminal investigator tasked with looking into the events involving Prishker, who played video evidence related to the incident with the three vloggers.
Hopper confirmed that during the investigation, the vloggers corroborated that Prishker displayed explicit images during their meeting.
The group, known for creating videos with provocative humor, was reportedly present near the border when interactions took place, yet they were absent from the courtroom during the hearing.
In other footage not shown at the hearing, a woman identified herself as an adult film actress, engaging in suggestive behavior with Prishker, inciting laughter and jokes among the group.
Rafael Garcia, who investigates misconduct for CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility, briefly testified that he was involved in investigating Doe’s allegations against Prishker.
Prishker did not take the witness stand during the proceedings on Friday as the hearing concluded.
Berry scheduled the next hearing for May, a significant date that may determine the future of the case.
The courtroom proceedings unfold against a backdrop of broader issues surrounding accountability and conduct within border enforcement agencies, underscoring the importance of the case in both legal and community contexts.
image source from：https://inewsource.org/2025/04/25/border-patrol-sexual-battery-criminal-charge-san-diego-superior-court/
