CHOWCHILLA - Madera County Sheriff’s Detectives arrested Tyler Hormel (35) Monday afternoon for having sexual intercourse with a minor.  Hormel is employed by the City of Chowchilla as a police officer, where he was currently assigned as a SRC (school resource officer).

The Chowchilla PD has placed Hormel on administrative leave from his job with the police department while an internal investigation into the allegations is being conducted. The Madera County Sheriff's Department has released very little information on this case other than saying that the alleged misconduct is unrelated to any of the school sites Hormel was assigned.

“This circumstance is still under investigation however there is currently no evidence that indicates that any of the alleged criminal conduct occurred while he was on duty or acting in an official capacity”, stated Sheriff Jay Varney.

Hormel and his wife Jaymie live in the Madera Ranchos area of the county with three children of their own and a teenage girl that the couple adopted in December.  The Madera County Sheriff's Department would not say if this case involves his own children or the teenager who just joined the family and bears a striking resemblance to the police officer's wife.

According to sources close to the couple, the newly adopted teenager had troubles in her own home and the Hormel's stepped forward to help the child get away from a bad circumstance. They would not elaborate on what that circumstance was or if there have been allegations like this before.

Madera County Sheriff Detectives are conducting the criminal investigation and will be filing the case with the Madera District Attorney’s Office when it is complete.  “This investigation has gone forward at the request of the Chowchilla Police Department and with their full cooperation”, Varney stated.

Hormel has been booked into the Madera County Department of Corrections on seven charges:  Three counts of Oral Copulation with a minor older than 10 but less the 15 years of age and four counts of Rape by force or fear of immediate injury. He is currently being held on $700,000 bail.