A uniformed police officer has been accused of raping a young mum with his fingers in a car park under the pretense of searching her.
Deputy Sheriff Steven Victor Abreu, 30, has been charged with second-degree rape, second-degree assault and false imprisonment.
He has also been charged with sexual contact with a person in law enforcement custody as well as three counts of misconduct in office.
Abreu – who has since been fired from his post with the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office – is alleged to have groped the victim in a department store car park on 26th October at around 1am.
Court documents allege that he approached the victim – identified only as JA – while she reportedly met a friend at the car park before Abreu arrived in a patrol car and told them they had to move on.
He is said to have sent JA’s friend away and then took her phone number and told her to get out of her car for a search.
The court documents – filed with the District Court of Maryland for Wicomico County – state: “She stated that he instructed her to get out of her vehicle, stating he wanted to check for illegal substances.
“She complied and described that he did not search her vehicle but proceeded to ‘frisk’ her.
“She stated that he used his hands to grab her breasts and then grabbed her buttocks.”
The document goes on: “She stated that he then told her to get back into her vehicle, which she did.
“She said that he then leaned into the open driver’s side window, keeping his flashlight on and in his right hand.
“She said he then moved his left hand under her pants and penetrated her vagina with his fingers.
“She stated that he then began touching her breasts, under her clothing, with his left hand.”
After a series of texts “of a sexual nature”, she blocked his number.
Two days later, on 28th October, Abreu then allegedly pulled the victim over while she was on her way to a shop to get nappies for her child. The court documents said: “She said that she told him she only had a few minutes to get to the store to get diapers for her child before the store closed.
“She said he asked her why she didn’t go to a different store, closer to her job, before heading in the direction of her home, indicating he had been watching her prior to her leaving from work and knew where she had gone.”
The documents also said: “She stated that he reached into the vehicle and grabbed her face. in the area of her jawline, with his hand.
“She stated that he forcefully moved her face and looked at her neck. She said he commented on marks that he had seen on her neck during the first assault, no longer being visible. She said that he then let her go and told her that he would see her again and that she was not to tell anyone about their interactions.”
JA’s unnamed fiance, who took her to work on 29th October and picked her up that evening, then allegedly noticed Abreu in his police vehicle in the car park at the place of her work.
JA reported Abreu to the police on 30th October.
Detectives – the documents state – asked her to contact Abreu while they recorded the call.
The documents state: “Abreu spoke to JA about the incident and apologised three separate times.”
In police interviews, Abreu denied any wrongdoing and claimed the sexual contact had been consensual.
Abreu, who has been fired from the sheriff’s office, where he had worked for less than a year, was set to appear before a judge yesterday, on Monday, 31st October.
