Baltimore Police Dept. | Guard Arrested For Alleged Sexual Assault While Impersonating An Officer
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore City Police Commissioner Michael Harrison announced the arrest of a man who allegedly sexually assaulted a woman while posing as a police officer.
Richard Barnes, 50, is charged with rape, assault and impersonating an officer. Police say that Barnes was wearing a security guard uniform.
Barnes is a security guard at Shock Trauma.
"Barnes then identified himself as a police officer," Harrison said. "He ordered the victim out of the vehicle and into his car. He then drove the victim to another location where he allegedly sexually assaulted her."
Police said that the incident happened in Charles Village on June 1.
The victim initially told police it was a police officer who assaulted her near the 2700 block of Lovegrove Street.
That forced the department to pull more than 100 police units from the streets and scrub them for possible evidence.
Cameras in the area, however, eventually led investigators to Barnes.
The University of Maryland Medical System said that Barnes has been suspended without pay. They released a statement on Tuesday to WJZ, saying:
"We are shocked and saddened by these allegations and are cooperating fully with the investigation."
WJZ captured investigators going in and out of a home with a listed address connected to Barnes.
"I know [Barnes] is very friendly," Pete Theodore said.
Theodore told WJZ he's casually talked to Barnes for years and always thought that he was a police officer.
"I always thought he was a police officer," Theodore said. "Always thought he was a good guy."
Baltimore Police do not know of any other possible victims, but they are not counting it out at this time.
"We are asking that if there are any other victims who could have been assaulted by this individual, please contact us right away," Harrison said.