A 39-year-old King County sheriff's deputy turned himself in to Seattle police Friday afternoon after he was charged with third-degree rape and sexual misconduct with a minor involving a then-teenage girl who was part of the Police Explorer program, according to prosecutors.
Deputy Ricardo Cueva, who joined the sheriff's office over a decade ago, was immediately placed on paid administrative leave and will be subject to an internal investigation as well as the criminal investigation that is being led by Seattle police, Brandyn Hull, a sheriff's spokesperson, said in a statement.
Cueva was expected to be booked into the Snohomish County Jail, with bail set at $150,000. Should he post bail, King County prosecutors have asked that Cueva be placed on electronic-home detention with GPS monitoring, ordered to surrender the 25-plus firearms registered to him, and be prohibited from having contact with any minors except his biological daughter, charging papers say. He is scheduled to be arraigned June 12.
The Police Explorer program is a national volunteer program for teens and young adults interested in law enforcement, providing them with opportunities to go on ride-alongs with officers, attend classes and participate in scenarios and other events to gain insight into the profession. Cueva met the alleged victim in 2016 when he was serving as her group leader for the Burien Police Department's explorer program, the charges say. Burien is one of 12 cities that contracts with the sheriff's office for police services.
The alleged rape and sexual misconduct occurred roughly seven years ago, in 2017 and 2018, when the girl was 17. The allegations against Cueva first came to light when another deputy, who had also been in the explorer program, contacted the now 24-year-old woman on an unrelated topic this month, according to the charges. She confided in the deputy, asked if Cueva was still in charge of the explorer program, and decided to come forward "in hopes of protecting others from Deputy Cueva," the charges say.
Cueva began the process of gaining the girl's trust with "special, individual treatment" when she was 16, then "escalated his behavior" after she turned 17, which he incorrectly believed was the age of consent, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Bella Holroyd wrote in charging papers.
While he was on duty and in uniform, Cueva took the girl on ride-alongs and engaged her in kissing and oral sex in his patrol vehicle, the charges say. He also invited her to his house in Kent and had sex with her at least twice when his wife and daughter weren't home, according to charging papers.
Cueva was named Burien's 2018 Employee of the Year, was reportedly well liked by his colleagues, and told the girl he loved her, all of which compounded to make her think no one would believe her, the charges say she told investigators.
© 2025 The Seattle Times. Visit www.seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
