Des Moines Police Chief Judy Bradshaw says authorities have arrested a Des Moines police officer for allegedly attempting to sexually assault a 22-year-old woman in his patrol car while he was on duty and in uniform.
Bradshaw says the incident reportedly occurred early Friday morning and that the 35-year-old Richardson faces one charge of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse and one count of non-felonious misconduct in office.
Richardson was placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal review of the case.
Polk County Sheriff’s deputies say he posted a $3,000 bond Friday evening.
Police released few details about the incident, except to say that the woman was not physically injured.
It was not immediately known if Richardson has an attorney
NFN Editor: “wow, $3,000 bond, paid leave and details (like his whole name on most news sites) being withheld? Apparently things are different for police officers or maybe they just think it’s that big of a deal.
STOP RESISTING! STOP RESISTING!
Get this and other stories of government corruption,
police brutality and bad cops at http://www.NewsForNatives.com
A Des Moines police officer was arrested and charged with attempting to sexually assault a 22-year-old woman in his patrol car early Friday, Des Moines Police Chief Judy Bradshaw said.
Police accused Officer Maynard Richardson of attacking the woman while he was on duty and in uniform. Richardson, 35, faces one charge of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse and one count of non-felonious misconduct in office.
“We began an immediate criminal investigation as soon as the allegations were brought to us,†Bradshaw said Friday afternoon. “We partnered with the Polk County attorney’s office, who was present throughout the investigation.â€
Richardson, who makes $52,166 per year, was placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal review of the case. He posted a $3,000 bond at 8:48 p.m., Friday, Polk County Sheriff’s deputies said.
Police released few details about the incident. Bradshaw declined to describe the type of contact the officer had with the woman or specifically where the incident allegedly took place. Police said the woman was not physically injured.
Bradshaw would only say that incident occurred within the Des Moines city limits and Richardson had contact with the woman as part of his duties as an officer.
Bradshaw emphasized Richardson’s alleged conduct should not besmirch the reputation of Des Moines police.
“This is not a trend,†Bradshaw said. “In the 30 years I have been with this department, we’ve never seen anything like this. This does not represent the truly outstanding work done by our officers in this community every day.â€
The woman called police to file the complaint at about 6:30 a.m., police said, just as Richardson’s patrol shift was ending.
Richardson was detained while authorities looked into the complaint. They eventually arrested him and took him to jail, where he was booked at 5:55 p.m. Friday.
The incident occurred sometime between midnight and 6:30 a.m., said Sgt. Lori Lavorato, Des Moines police spokeswoman.
The woman is not believed to have been involved in a crime and was not on a supervised ride-along with the officer, Lavorato said. The alleged victim was also not physically hurt in the attack, Bradshaw said.
Police initially released her age as 19, but later revised it to 22. The reason for the discrepancy was not clear.
Richardson lives in Johnston. His 2006 application for a military tax credit states Richardson served in the military from March 1994 to December 2000.
Richardson graduated from the Des Moines police academy on July 14, 2008, and joined the state’s largest police force in December 2008.
He applied for a marriage license to Heather Kephart in November 2004, according to Polk County records.
A Polk County court determined Richardson was the father of a child born in February 1997 to another woman.
Richardson was ordered to pay $408 per month in child support in September 2008, shortly before he started with the Des Moines police, Iowa court records show.
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