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Star News TV
A former Triad-area sheriff’s deputy is facing a felony rape charge stemming from an alleged April incident in Guilford County.
Brandon Yair Zagada Zuniga, 30, of Seagrove, was arrested and charged with second-degree forcible rape. Court records list the alleged offense date as April 25, 2026.
According to the arrest warrant, the victim was allegedly “physically helpless” at the time of the incident.
During Friday's court proceedings, information was presented that Zuniga and the woman had met at a bar. Officials said the woman became highly intoxicated and eventually passed out. She reportedly told authorities that when she woke up, she realized she had been sexually assaulted and was too intoxicated to consent.
Witnesses at the bar reportedly told officials the woman was so intoxicated that she could not leave the establishment under her own power.
Zuniga previously worked as a patrol deputy with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office from August 2022 until October 2023. He then joined the Randolph County Sheriff's Office in November 2023. Officials confirmed he was no longer employed by Randolph County as of May 4, 2026, shortly after the alleged incident.
He was being held without bond following his first appearance.
The allegations remain just that—allegations, and the charge is not a conviction. The case is moving through the court system.
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