By Adriana M. Chávez
El Paso Times
EL PASO, Texas — The trial of a former El Paso police officer accused of sexually assaulting a woman while on duty is set to begin Monday.
Zake Rivera, 29, was arrested on Feb. 24 after a police investigation. A grand jury later indicted him on a charge of sexual assault.
According to a complaint affidavit, Rivera forced a woman to perform oral sex on him while he was responding to a family disturbance call on Jan. 23 in West El Paso.
In March, police Chief Greg Allen fired Rivera. Rivera was with the Police Department for four years and was a patrol officer at the Westside Regional Command.
Before his firing, Rivera had been placed on administrative leave.
Police said the incident occurred while Rivera and another officer interviewed a woman and her husband separately and out of view of each other.
Investigators found biological evidence on the woman’s clothing that was a DNA match to Rivera, and he was also identified by the woman in a photo lineup, the affidavit stated.
The El Paso Times does not name the victims of alleged sexual assaults. However, court records show the woman was recently sentenced to 150 days in jail after she apparently failed to meet the terms of her probation, which stemmed from a previous arrest for driving while intoxicated.
Rivera’s trial is scheduled to begin Monday morning in the 210th District Court before Judge Gonzalo Garcia.
Copyright 2011 El Paso Times