New Rochelle sergeant suspended as police investigate teen's rape claim

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I think I'm smelling a little Tawana Brawley here. I wouldn't jump to conclusions too quickly on this one...

New Rochelle sergeant suspended as police investigate teen's rape claim

By Jonathan Bandler and Leslie Korngold

The Journal News • February 14, 2008

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NEW ROCHELLE - A New Rochelle police sergeant has been suspended while police investigate a 17-year-old girl's claim that he raped her after responding to a domestic dispute between her and her boyfriend, Police Commissioner Patrick Carroll said today.

The sergeant was not on duty the morning of Feb. 8 when officers initially responded to the girl's Cliff Street home on a report that she had a fight with her boyfriend. The boyfriend was arrested and charged with third-degree assault, and later was released on bail.

That evening, he reportedly returned to the apartment and threatened her again. Police were called and the sergeant, now on duty, and three other officers responded, and the boyfriend was arrested again, this time on a criminal contempt charge.

The girl claims that the sergeant returned early the next morning to her apartment, after he had gone off duty, and raped her.

She first told authorities that on Monday when she went to the Westchester District Attorney's Office and tried to get charges against her boyfriend dropped, Carroll said.

The commissioner discussed the investigation at a news conference at police headquarters this afternoon, where he was joined by Deputy Commissioner Anthony Murphy, Capt. Joseph Schaller, who is overseeing the investigation, and City Manager Charles Strome III.

Carroll said he had never suspended an officer with pay so early in an investigation but did so because the sergeant's continued presence at police headquarters would be a "distraction" because of the nature of the claim against him. The sergeant's name was not mentioned at the press conference. The Journal News is not identifying him because no charges have been filed.

The commissioner said the sergeant, on the force for nine years, has "a sterling record" in the department and has denied the allegations. The sergeant could not be reached for comment today.

Carroll said investigators were trying to assess the girl's credibility and he would not speculate about whether an arrest would be made. "We're going to take our time to cover all bases," he said.

Read more about this story tomorrow in The Journal News and at Lohud.com

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Here's more to the story:

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...ONTPAGECAROUSEL

This seventeen year-old has a child from a thirty-five year-old live-in "boyfriend"?

Tell me, Who should be in jail?