Officers accused in sex assault of young woman

March 31, 2011 (CHICAGO)

The officers have been relieved of their police powers while the investigation plays out. They may face criminal charges.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, at the intersection of Sheffield and Addison, the woman tells investigators she had been drinking and was upset with her boyfriend when two officers offered her a ride home. She accepted.

The woman tells investigators she had sex with one of the officers in the passenger's seat of police SUV.

A source says the officers stopped at a liquor store on the way to the woman's Rogers Park apartment and may have been caught on tape buying booze.

Once back at her apartment, the woman says both officers came inside. They played strip poker and one had sex with her in her bedroom. She later said she was too afraid to say no.

Chicago's interim police superintendent Terry Hillard said on-duty officers are there to protect and serve, not party and have sex.

"Whether she was drinking, that has nothing to do with the case. What they did - allegedly have done - was inappropriate, and was against the law," said Hillard. "You can't justify it."

A police report indicates the alleged victim ran down the hall of her apartment building, banging on doors, screaming for help. One neighbor reportedly saw a man running from the woman's apartment naked. Another man was seen putting on a police uniform as he left but not before leaving behind a police department mock turtleneck, belt holder and cell phone.

The police crime lab is now processing the woman's rape kit and evidence from inside the police SUV.

"At this point in time, it's an active criminal investigation. We need to have everything worked up prior to any charging," said Tom Byrne, Chicago Police Chief of Detectives.

ABC7 has learned the officers' police SUV had a GPS tracker. It's standard issue on the new vehicles and can be tracked by supervisors back at the station.

Now GPS records showing how long the officers were at the alleged victim's home are part of the investigation into their conduct.

The alleged victim denied being drunk when she spoke with ABC7's Ben Bradley Wednesday night. She says she did pick at least one of the officers out of a line-up.

Both officers are free, pending charges. But they won't be patrolling the streets.

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