A Chicago police officer has been recently charged with a sex crime after he was accused of having a sexual relationship with a child. Police are remaining silent about the child’s age and gender but have charged the officer based on the child’s self-reported allegations. According to police, the attack occurred in a parking lot. The victim knew the attacker and identified him as a 30-year-old police officer in good standing with CPD.
In a case like this, the child will be interviewed by the Children’s Advocacy Center in conjunction with CPD’s Internal Affairs and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. The officer has since been charged with a felony count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against a child as well as aggravated battery in public.
According to authorities, the attack was violent. The officer is accused of groping the victim and then striking them. The defendant has been released on a $10,000 bond and is required to have no contact with the victim or anyone under the age of 18.
Analyzing the Prosecution
We have yet to hear from the defendant, so we don’t know what their defense will be. They could choose to fight the charges on grounds that the incident never happened or at least did not happen the way the victim is saying it happened. So, that would be the defendant’s best option in a case like this. It remains unclear if the attack occurred while the police officer was on duty or not.
In many situations where a victim is blaming a police officer, they can face an uphill battle when it comes to being taken seriously. In this case, the relevant departments tasked with conducting interviews are backing the victim and their story. In some cases, it can be retraumatizing for victims who have to answer the same questions over and over as a new interviewer tries to trip them up or go back on their story. In these cases, the victim may have difficulty remembering the traumatic event or details relating to the traumatic event.
Prosecutors usually only pursue cases that they think they can win. Win percentages for prosecutors should be higher than the 75% range. Prosecutors who lose too many cases run the risk of tarnishing their reputations. So, there is specific pressure on prosecutors to try cases that they can win and drop charges when the evidence is not there.
Certainly, the allegations are damning, but in a case like this, you do not have any facts beyond the witness’s testimony—at least not yet. Prosecutors will likely use evidence of bruising from the punch and evidence gleaned from the rape kit to establish a forensic argument. If the forensics match the victim’s story, this case will be very hard to defend.
Talk to a Chicago Criminal Defense Attorney Today
David Freidberg represents the interests of Chicago residents accused of sex crimes. Call our office today at (312) 560-7100, and we can begin discussing defense strategy immediately.
