CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - A former Tennessee police officer has been indicted on a sexual battery charge, stemming from an allegation that he fondled a suspected shoplifter.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports former Chattanooga police Officer Benjamin Dessalines was indicted Wednesday.
He was initially arrested in November on charges of kidnapping and sexual battery, but the kidnapping charge was later dropped when the woman testified that she wasn’t physically forced into his apartment or car.
An affidavit says the woman told authorities she had thought Dessalines was going to kill her as he showed her his gun and took her to an alley before eventually bringing her to his home.
An internal investigation ended with the officer being fired.
In a separate case, another Chattanooga officer is under investigation over allegations that he raped at least three women.
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Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press, http://www.timesfreepress.com
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