SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A San Francisco commissioner was arrested on Thursday. A board member of the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department Oversight Board, William Palmer II, was arrested on a sexual battery charge for an incident in August.
A victim reported to the San Francisco Police Department that they were assaulted by Palmer on Aug. 30 in Palmer’s home after Palmer offered to give the victim a ride to a nearby BART station. A months-long investigation led SFPD to have probable cause to obtain an arrest warrant for Palmer.
Palmer, 53 was arrested without incident around 9 a.m. Thursday on Scott Street, according to SFPD. He was booked into the San Francisco County Jail at 10:33 a.m. on Nov. 9. Palmer faces charges of sodomy, assault to commit sodomy, sexual battery, assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury and false imprisonment, to which he has plead not guilty.
“I am grateful to the survivor of this attack for coming forward and sharing her story,” said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins in a news release. “My office takes these cases seriously and will fight for justice on her behalf in the courtroom.”
President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Aaron Peskin has called for Palmer to resign from his position.
“He has been asked to resign. If he doesn’t resign I will be taking the necessary steps under the applicable laws to remove him,” Peskin said in a statement Saturday.
Palmer had served a previous sentence at a Solano County state prison, according to the city’s website. He was released in March 2019 after serving 31 years — 23 of them were ruled by the California Supreme Court as “constitutional excessive punishment.”
The San Francisco Sheriff’s Department Oversight Board “evaluates the work of the Office of Inspector General.” That includes protecting the “integrity of the State’s correctional system,” according to the Office of the Inspector General’s website.
Palmer’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 28. He is currently being held without bail.
