3rd Cop Investigated In Wake Of Sex Assault Case
UPDATED 04/04/11 9:34 a.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A third Chicago Police officer from the North Side's Town Hall District has been stripped of his police powers, as the sexual assault investigation against two other officers from the district continues.
But sources say the allegations against the officer are completely different and unrelated to the two officers being investigated for sexual assault in an incident last week.
The third officer, who is a partner of the original two accused and is assigned to the same police car, was not on duty that morning. But according to police sources, that officer was present during at least one of two alleged similar incidents that occurred in the past involving his two partners, the Sun-Times reported, citing sources.
The police department's News Affairs office released a written statement Saturday night saying the sex assault investigation generated "allegations of misconduct involving a third member of the Department in the same unit of assignment."
While these allegations are not criminal at this time or directly associated with this incident, the officer has been relieved of his police powers and placed in an administrative assignment pending resolution of the allegation," the statement added.
The third officer's badge and service weapon were taken away Friday along with his police powers, as with the other two officers, sources told the Sun-Times. The officer will have no face-to-face contact with the public, but is still getting a paycheck, according to police sources.
He has been assigned to administrative duties while the investigation continues, as with the other two officers, sources said.
As of 5:30 p.m. Saturday, no charges had been filed against the originally accused officers, Police News Affairs Officer Daniel O'Brien said.
"The Chicago Police Department is working the criminal investigation to its furthest point. Interviews are ongoing and evidence has been collected and submitted for analysis," News Affairs said in the written statement.
The jaw-dropping accusations about the two officers were learned Wednesday night and allegedly occurred in the early morning hours when the woman said she was walking outside near Sheffield Avenue and Addison Street.
According to a police report, the woman was crying while walking outside after leaving a male friend's home where they had been drinking and arguing.
At some point, a marked Chicago Police Tahoe SUV approached with two male officers inside. They offered the woman a ride home, and she accepted, according to the report.
The woman told police that during the ride, she had sex with one of the officers in a passenger seat of the SUV and that she did not say "no," according to the report.
When they arrived at her apartment in the Rogers Park neighbohrood, all three went inside, where they played strip poker and she had sex with one officer in her bed. But she began banging on her wall with her hands hoping to catch her neighbors' attention, saying she felt intimidated by the officers and was afraid to say "no" to their sexual advances, the report said.
She eventually ran from her apartment screaming and pounding on a male neighbor's door, who didn't answer. Another neighbor, a woman, saw her and called police, prompting an initial response about 3 a.m. for a "person calling for help."
When the male neighbor finally opened his door after hearing the commotion, he told police he saw a naked man running down the hallway and another man dressed in a Chicago Police uniform walking away, according to the report.
Police sources say the officers left behind mock turtleneck collars with the letters CPD embroidered on them, a cell phone, and a police belt-keeper. The victim was taken to Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston for treatment.
Reached by phone Friday, the woman declined to speak to CBS 2's Mai Martinez about the incident.
The two veteran officers, both reported to be 38, were represented by the same attorney when they went into Belmont Area police headquarters and invoked their Fifth Amendment rights, police said. They were arrested and booking photos were taken.
"The allegations that have been made should not reflect upon the many honorable men and women of the Chicago Police Department who continue to serve the residents of Chicago with the highest degree of professionalism and pride," the News Affairs statement said Saturday.
People with information about the alleged sex assault are asked to call (312) 287-1204.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
