SANTA CRUZ — Marco Del Real, the former Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy who was charged last week with having sex with a female inmate, made his first appearance in Superior Court Monday.
Out of custody after posting bail, Del Real, garbed in a suit, was accompanied by attorney Paul Meltzer in the brief appearance in the courtroom of Judge Stephen Siegel.
Del Real, 29, is charged with sexual activity with a confined adult and rape — both felonies. He was also charged with assault under color of authority.
“Today Marco Del Real was charged with three different felony counts,” said Assistant District Attorney Steve Moore. “He pled not guilty to all of those counts.”
Moore said Del Real’s “upper maximum term is eight years.”
Del Real has been fired from the department, Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart said.
The alleged incident took place in July.
“He (Del Real) is still working out getting an attorney so the arraignment has been put over until the 24th of April,” Moore said. “Because there was protective order, the protective order requires that he surrender all his weapons.”
In court, when asked by Siegel, Del Real said he owned three handguns and two rifles.
The case against Del Real started when investigators began looking into rumors that a jail guard had an inappropriate relationship with a female inmate, Hart said.
Del Real is not suspected of contact with any other inmates.
