San Francisco oversight board president accused of drug use and sexual misconduct with vulnerable woman

William Monroe Palmer, who presides over the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department Oversight Board, faces fresh accusations that he supplied fentanyl and meth to a 26-year-old woman and engaged in sexual relations with her over a five-day period. The woman, who left her family home on June 30 after a dispute about her strip-club job, said she met Palmer after smoking fentanyl with strangers in a public plaza. He allegedly invited her into his red BMW, offered more drugs, and took her to his residence where she was repeatedly drugged and pressured to have sex, even after an overdose required resuscitation.

Her mother reported her missing on July 3; police later located the woman and Palmer, handcuffing the latter while placing the woman on a mental-health hold. Palmer later attempted to visit her in the hospital, was denied, and sent an email to the district attorney’s office expressing concern about the police response. City officials, including Mayor Daniel Lurie and Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, are calling for an expedited removal process, though the board’s rules require a lengthy hearing. Palmer has refused to resign and says he will serve until his term ends in March 2027.