A former police officer from Indiana has been convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old runaway, an act he committed after locating her through phone tracking and coercing her into his patrol car while on duty. This was confirmed by authorities and reported in various media outlets.
Sinmi Asomuyide, a 33-year-old who previously served with the Kokomo Police Department, was found guilty following a five-day trial. The charges involved the sexual assault of a teenage girl and making false statements to investigators in an attempt to conceal his crime, as announced by the US Department of Justice on Friday.
The incident began when Asomuyide encountered the victim while he was working as a probationary officer tasked with checking on a 14-year-old runaway, according to Fox59. The teenager recounted to investigators that during one of her runaway episodes, Asomuyide picked her up and initially took her to a local youth center. However, instead of taking her inside, he kept the vehicle parked and proceeded to ask her inappropriate questions.
After returning the girl to her home and exchanging phone numbers with her, Asomuyide allegedly used her phone location to track her. He then went to her house, insisting she leave with him.
The victim reported that Asomuyide handcuffed her, forced her into his squad car, and drove to an abandoned parking lot, where the assault took place. This account was provided to investigators as part of the case against him.
The officer handcuffed her, forced her into his squad car, and brought her to an abandoned parking lot, where he sexually assaulted her, the victim told investigators.
The federal jury found Asomuyide guilty of deprivation of rights for denying the teen her “constitutional rights by sexually assaulting her,” prosecutors said.
The jury also found that the cops’ conduct “included kidnapping and abusive sexual contact of a child under the age of 16.”
Asomuyide was also found guilty of witness tampering for lying to the Indiana State Police by denying he ever had sexual contact with the teen and lying about other corroborating evidence, officials said.
He continued to cover up the act by deleting a messaging app he used to communicate with the girl before sexually assaulting her, the jury found.
Asomuyide faces a maximum sentence of life behind bars.
“The defendant used his position of trust and the appearance of assistance to isolate and assault a child, then took steps to obstruct the investigation by destroying records and lying to law enforcement,” Special Agent in Charge Timothy J O’Malley of the FBI Indianapolis Field Office said in a statement.
“These actions reflect a complete disregard for the law, the victim, and the public trust,” O’Malley said.
“The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively pursue justice for victims and hold offenders fully accountable.”
