Deputy terminated after allegedly sexually assaulting woman during traffic stop
A Harris County patrol deputy was terminated less than 24 hours after a woman reported that he sexually assaulted her during a Feb. 14 traffic stop on Georgia Highway 85, Chief Deputy Neil Adams confirmed this morning.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case, and has confirmed that the deputy, whose name officials declined to release, is currently not facing any criminal charges.
Adams said the deputy conducted a traffic stop around Feb. 14 on a woman who was reportedly speeding in a 55 mph speed zone on Highway 85 near Victoria Airpark Drive and north of Waverly Hall. Adams said she was in fact speeding, but the deputy decided to just write her a warning ticket.
“There was some conversation between them,” Adams said about the incident that happened around 1 p.m. “He wrote her the ticket and she left.”
Adams said the initial stop was a “good stop,” but the one that followed was “inappropriate."
The deputy pulled the driver over again about five miles down the road near Twin Lakes Road. Adams confirmed that the woman had not committed another violation to warrant a second traffic stop.
We expect our officers to have a very high standard as far as their character, the way they serve the community and the way they act. It’s inappropriate and it’s very disappointing that something like this would happen.
Harris County Chief Deputy Neil Adams
During the stop, the deputy had his in-car camera equipment on as he interacted with the woman for a second time. He turned the recording equipment off “shortly after the traffic stop,” preventing officials from getting video evidence of what happened next, Adams said.
"He said they had consensual oral sex, and she said the same thing only that it was not consensual," Adams said before later clarifying that she allegedly performed oral sex on the deputy.
The woman immediately reported the incident to another law enforcement agency that then informed the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Hired in October 2014, the deputy was terminated less than 24 hours after the report was made, Adams stated.
“It was because of acts unbecoming of an officer and for, of course, misuse of the equipment in the vehicle as far as the recording equipment was concerned,” Adams responded when asked about the reason behind the termination.
Adams said the Harris County Sheriff’s Office works to hire the best candidates for the job, so it’s disappointing that one of its deputies was allegedly involved in this type of incident.
“We expect our officers to have a very high standard as far as their character, the way they serve the community and the way they act,” Adams said. “It’s inappropriate and it’s very disappointing that something like this would happen.”
Sarah Robinson: 706-571-8622, @sarahR_92
This story was originally published March 1, 2016 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Deputy terminated after allegedly sexually assaulting woman during traffic stop."