World News | Two NYPD Officers Are Charged with Robbing and Forcibly Touching a Sex Worker
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Two New York City police officers have been suspended after being charged with robbing and forcibly touching a sex worker while responding to a complaint about an illegal brothel, prosecutors said Monday.
New York, Apr 1 (AP) Two New York City police officers have been suspended after being charged with robbing and forcibly touching a sex worker while responding to a complaint about an illegal brothel, prosecutors said Monday.
Officers Justin McMillan and Justin Colon intentionally turned off their body cameras as they broke into a residential building, stole money and forcibly touched a woman while on duty last July, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
The patrol officers, who were still on probationary status after entering the police academy in 2023, had been responding to a report of prostitution inside the building.
Prosecutors say the two shut off their bodycams before approaching a woman leaving the building and taking a key to the residence from her.
They returned eight hours later, unlocked the door and found a woman having sex with a man, who immediately fled, according to Katz's office.
McMillan then stole money from the woman's purse and groped her.
The woman ran away and eventually called 911 with the help of others, prosecutors said. The officers, meanwhile, returned to their stationhouse without reporting the incidents.
McMillan, 27, of Long Island, and Colon, 24, of Queens, pleaded not guilty during their arraignment hearings Monday in Queens. They were released and are due back in court April 28, according to Katz's office.
They face charges including burglary, forcible touching, petit larceny and official misconduct. Lawyers for the two didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
The officers have been suspended without pay. They were placed on modified duty last August as the NYPD's internal affairs bureau and Katz's office investigated, according to police.
“We hold our officers to the highest standard of professionalism and integrity, and failing to meet that standard is disqualifying," Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement. "Let me be perfectly clear: Any officer who violates their oath will be investigated, exposed, and held fully accountable. That standard will never change.” (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)