Regardless of your situation or amount of influence, allegations of certain criminal actions can cause you to lose your job, friends and family, even if you are never convicted. For a Dallas police officer arrested on sexual assault charges, life may never be the same. The man resigned his position right before he was arrested on Tuesday, Jan. 28.
In cases where a police officer is accused of crimes that break public trust, such as sexual offenses against a civilian, public backlash against the officer can be overwhelming. Though a person is considered innocent until proven guilty, many people may speak out against the officer. In this case, a Dallas attorney who is not involved in the case has discussed how the officer’s alleged actions impact public trust in the police force. She has also called the alleged actions the “top of egregiousness.”
The officer, who was hired in 2009, is accused of sexually assaulting a woman on Sept. 9, 2013. According to reports, the officer stopped a man and a woman but then ordered the man to leave. The officer allegedly ordered the woman into the back of his car and drove a short distance away after telling her there were outstanding warrants against her.
When the woman began to cry, the officer allegedly told her she didn’t need to go to jail. The woman claims the officer got into the back of the car with her and raped her. She claims the officer then dropped her off. She reported the crime to police on Oct. 4, 2013.
The officer was put on leave at that time. According to Dallas police, a public integrity investigation began immediately and an internal affairs investigation began Jan. 24. Shortly after, the officer was arrested; bond is $25,000.
Source: WFAA, “Dallas police officer charged with on-duty sexual assault” Matt Goodman and Teresa Woodard, Jan. 28, 2014