By LINDSAY WISE
Houston Chronicle
HOUSTON, Tex. — A veteran police officer — accused of sexually assaulting a woman during a traffic stop — has been relieved of duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation by the Houston Police Department.
Officer Eric M. Dargin, 47, was charged Wednesday with sexual assault and improper sexual activity with a person in custody.
Dargin, a 24-year veteran, has been suspended with pay since the alleged May 17 incident. That’s when a 25-year-old woman has alleged the officer pulled her over about 2:30 a.m. in the 900 block of Laurel Springs Lane and sexually assaulted her, said Harris County Assistant District Attorney Joe Owmby.
According to court documents, the woman called her boyfriend, who was driving in another car, and told him she was being stopped by a police officer. She asked him to come check on her if she did not catch up with him within 20 minutes. When the woman asked Dargin if she was going to jail, he said: “We’ll see,” the alleged victim told police. He sexually assaulted the woman a short time later, according to court documents.
Meanwhile, the woman’s boyfriend drove back and saw a police officer run to his patrol car and leave the scene.
Dargin told the woman that she had outstanding warrants and threatened to arrest her “unless she engaged in sexual activity with him,” Owmby said.
Owmby said Dargin, who is assigned to the Kingwood Patrol Division, was on duty and dressed in uniform at the time.
In addition to the woman identifying the officer as her attacker, DNA evidence also links Dargin to the alleged assault, court documents show.
The charges against Dargin resulted from an ongoing criminal investigation conducted by the Houston Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division, said Assistant Chief Michael Dirden.
Dirden acknowledged that such allegations against a police officer could erode the public’s trust in Houston’s law enforcement community, but he said charges against one person should not affect people’s perception of the department as a whole.
“This is an unusual event,” he said.
Owmby agreed.
“Such cases are very rare, but when these things are reported we take them seriously and investigate them, and if there’s probable cause, we prosecute them,” he said.
If convicted, Dargin could face six months to two years in jail for engaging in improper sexual activity with a person in custody and two to 20 years for sexual assault by a public servant, a second degree felony. Dargin was released on bond after turning himself in to authorities earlier this week, Owmby said.
His next court appearance is July 6.
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle