SANGER – The Sanger Police Department arrested a man suspected of kidnapping three individuals, including two children, by transporting them from Sanger to Orange Cove against their will.
The man, Douglas Divine, was taken into custody by the Sanger Police Department on June 7 and was booked in the Fresno County Jail, according to a statement released by Sanger Interim Police Chief Michael Salvador. Divine, 41, is a police officer with the Chowchilla Police Department.
According to Sanger PD, the department was alerted to a disturbance in the city of Orange Cove on the afternoon of June 7. Further investigation revealed that the incident originated in the city of Sanger.
Based on the initial investigation, police believe the reported disturbance centered around the issue of the transportation of two minor children from Sanger to Orange Cove. The press release said that “it is alleged that a physical altercation occurred during this incident.” It was then following this physical altercation that the two minor children, as well as an adult man, were transported from Sanger to Orange Cove against their will.
Sanger PD said their investigation produced probable cause to arrest Divine in connection with this incident. Divine was taken into custody “without incident” at the Sanger PD headquarters later in the evening on June 7, the press release said.
According to the Fresno County Jail booking report, Divine is being charged with six felony counts, including kidnapping, false imprisonment with violence, criminal threat, assault by a public officer, cruelty to a dependent adult and endangering/causing/permitting physical/mental injury to a child. He is also being charged with a misdemeanor for child endangerment.
In his statement, Salvador said the case remains under active investigation and no further details will be released at this time.
Chowchilla Chief of Police Jeffrey Palmer also issued a statement regarding the incident around 3 p.m. on June 9. Palmer said that as police chief, he believes in transparency in all matters that may impact the community, and subsequently reported that one of his department’s officers was arrested in Sanger. Palmer said Divine, who he did not name in the statement, has been placed on administrative leave, as required by law.
“We will be monitoring the charges and if there is merit to the allegations, the officer will face serious disciplinary action,” Palmer said. “This type of conduct is not a reflection of the men and women of our department who serve this city honorably.”
