BY SHARON COOLIDGE
Cincinnati Enquirer
A Cincinnati police officer is accused of raping a woman he was supposed to be helping after her boyfriend assaulted her.
A Hamilton County grand jury indicted Officer William Simpson on three counts of rape and three counts of sexual battery. Simpson was allegedly in uniform and carrying a gun.
Simpson, 46, faces up to 31 years in prison if convicted.
Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge John West set Simpson’s bond at $10,000 this morning.
“The relationship and trust between law enforcement and community is very important,” said Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters. “I think it sickens (Cincinnati Police Chief) Tom Streicher and all of us in law enforcement that somebody would abuse the uniform and badge and take advantage of somebody like this.”
On Oct. 3, while on duty, Simpson responded to a dispute between the woman and her ex-boyfriend.
The former boyfriend had broken into her home, assaulted her and ran off, according to prosecutors.
Simpson took the woman to the county clerk’s office to file burglary charges and then they returned to her home. Simpson said he needed to take pictures of her injuries, prosecutors said.
Deters said Simpson told her needed to stop at a pharmacy and buy a disposable camera, raising the woman’s suspicions, Deters said.
Prosecutors said the woman asked Simpson if a female officer could take the pictures or if she could take them herself, but Simpson refused and said he would take the photos himself. He used the camera of the woman’s son.
As Simpson took the pictures, he made sexual advances toward the woman, held her down and raped her three times, prosecutors said.
Kathy Harrell, president of the Fraternal Order of Police union, said Simpson is denying the charges.
“Officer Simpson is like every other citizen,” she said. “He is entitled to due process. He is innocent until proven guilty.”
Copyright 2007 Cincinnati Enquirer