Countywide : Prosecutor Placed on Leave Pending Inquiry

The Orange County district attorney’s office confirmed Wednesday that it has placed prosecutor Michael J. Curls on administrative leave pending an internal investigation of a Tustin woman’s accusation that he sexually assaulted her.

The 29-year-old woman was a witness in a domestic violence case that Curls was assigned to prosecute.

Santa Ana police also are investigating a complaint that Curls groped the woman, Lt. Robert Helton said. To avoid a conflict of interest, Helton said that the results of the investigation will be turned over to the state attorney general for a decision about whether criminal prosecution is warranted.

Assistant Dist. Atty. Wallace J. Wade said the woman came to him Friday with her accusation, and “we referred her to the Santa Ana Police Department because there were criminal allegations.”

The woman and Curls could not be reached Wednesday and Helton and Wade declined to discuss any details of the allegations because of the ongoing investigations.

Wade said Curls, a deputy district attorney, has worked for the district attorney’s office for slightly more than a year and most recently was assigned to handle misdemeanor prosecutions in the central court in Santa Ana.

“Based on the nature of the charge and the ongoing criminal investigation by the Santa Ana Police Department, we thought it would be in everyone’s best interest to place him on leave until we can investigate the matter,” Wade said.

“I’ve been here 24 years and can’t remember any allegation like this before,” he said.