Former police officer accused of raping woman while on duty, investigators say
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TULSA, Okla. (Gray News) - A former police officer in Oklahoma has been arrested and charged with first-degree rape.
The Tulsa Police Department reports officer Deangelo Reyes has resigned from his position and was taken into custody after admitting to having sexual contact with a woman while he was on duty.
Detectives in the department’s Special Victims Unit said the incident occurred on April 17 when Reyes made inappropriate contact with a woman he met on duty at her hotel.
According to police, the woman gave Reyes her phone number, and a few hours he called her. She told investigators that she later spotted his patrol car at her hotel, and they ended up in her room.
Reyes reportedly asked the woman if she was a prostitute, and she said no. Police said Reyes ran the woman’s criminal record, against their policy, and told her, “It wouldn’t take much to put a person with her record back in prison.”
The woman told police Reyes initiated physical contact with her in the hotel room, and the two had intercourse before he left, saying he was late for his end-of-shift meeting.
Investigators said they checked Reyes’ body camera, and the footage showed him calling the woman while saying he was “Eric” before turning off his camera.
The department said Reyes did not respond to any calls during his shift’s last two hours and told dispatch that he was unavailable because he was working on reports.
However, detectives determined that he did not complete any reports that evening.
Tulsa police said Reyes first told investigators that he met up with the woman as a follow-up contact in a homicide case but denied any sexual contact.
Before a second interview, police said he then admitted that he had lied during his first interview.
Reyes admitted he did tell the woman his name was “Eric” and met her at a hotel to initiate a no-strings-attached encounter while still on duty.
Police said he also admitted that he dishonestly checked out with dispatch and told them that the woman had initiated the sexual contact, and he perceived the encounter as consensual.
On June 10, a warrant was issued for Reyes’ arrest, and he was booked into Tulsa County on a first-degree rape charge.
Tulsa authorities urged anyone who may have been a victim of Reyes to contact the Special Victims Unit at 918-596-9168.
Reyes resigned from the Tulsa Police Department on June 9.
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