A Southern California jail employee is facing serious allegations after reportedly using inmate records to contact a recently released woman for personal reasons, according to a newly filed legal claim.
Yash Patel, a 30-year-old corrections deputy in Riverside County, is accused of accessing confidential jail records to obtain the phone number of Summer Johnson, 31, shortly after her release in early March. The claim alleges that Patel began calling Johnson from a blocked number around 1:30 a.m. on March 6. When she eventually answered after repeated calls, he allegedly made inappropriate remarks about her appearance.
Johnson had been in custody following an incident involving a disturbance and an altercation with her boyfriend. According to her attorney, Jamal Tooson, Patel referenced what she had been wearing at the time of her release and made suggestive comments.
Patel was arrested on March 7 in Jurupa Valley, just one day after the alleged contact. Authorities say the arrest was tied to a separate, off-duty incident involving another woman, where he was booked on suspicion of sexual battery and false imprisonment. He was released the following day after posting $500,000 bail. Patel has been employed with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office since July 2021 and was most recently assigned to the Robert Presley Detention Center.
Tooson noted that he previously represented another woman who accused a different deputy in the same county of misusing law enforcement databases to pursue her. That earlier case was settled for $375,000. He described the current situation as part of a troubling pattern.
The Riverside County Sheriff confirmed that investigators are now speaking with multiple women Patel may have contacted after their release from custody. The department is facing renewed scrutiny over its handling of such incidents, particularly following past controversies involving inmate treatment and staff conduct.
Officials have also pushed back against claims circulating online suggesting a broader scheme involving deputies targeting former inmates, calling those accusations unfounded.
According to the legal claim, investigators discovered Johnson’s phone number on Patel’s device after his arrest and reached out to her as part of the inquiry. The claim further alleges that Johnson had never provided her contact information to Patel, and that he obtained it improperly through internal systems.
After the initial contact, Johnson and Patel continued communicating. She reportedly requested proof of his identity, and both exchanged photos. Their conversations later moved to a messaging platform where messages disappear, though Johnson is said to have recorded the exchanges using another device.
The claim accuses Patel of abusing his authority and violating Johnson’s privacy by using confidential information for personal purposes unrelated to his duties. It also states that Johnson experienced significant emotional distress, including fear, anxiety, and a loss of personal security after being contacted by a law enforcement officer with access to sensitive data.
The filing indicates that damages in the case could exceed $10 million.