An Orange County police officer is facing serious allegations after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman within her home, reports KTLA. The officer, Carlos Romero of the Anaheim Police Department, has been placed off-duty and a civil lawsuit raising the charges was filed this week in a Santa Ana court. The allegations center around an encounter originating from a seemingly casual meeting at an In-N-Out Burger drive-thru back in May 2023.
According to the NBC News report, the encounter began when Romero, after smiling at the plaintiff at the In-N-Out, allegedly utilized his access to Department of Motor Vehicles data to send her a Facebook friend request the following day, then texted her despite her making it clear she was not interested in a romantic relationship, Romero was charged with a misdemeanor for the unauthorized disclosure of DMV information yet declined to file more serious charges citing the inability to "prove a crime beyond a reasonable doubt."
The plaintiff, referred to as Jane Doe, has accused Romero of a range of misconducts including battery, sexual assault, and violation of civil rights, such as unreasonable search and seizure and deprivation of due process, according to the civil rights lawsuit. Mike Lyster, a spokesperson for the city of Anaheim, stated to the media that the city takes the standards of police conduct seriously and an internal investigation is ongoing, Mike Lyster assured the public that the allegations were met with immediate action, with an in-depth criminal investigation initiated as soon as the department was made aware of the incident.
Contained within Jane Doe's legal complaint, as covered by KTLA, is the claim that on the day of the alleged assault, Romero arrived in uniform and in his police vehicle, where he began kissing the woman with her consent quickly escalated to a point where Romero forcibly sexually assaulted her, even though the plaintiff had explicitly refused. The woman’s attorney, Gregory Peacock, couldn't be reached for comment on the lawsuit, which is seeking damages exceeding $10 million, NBC News details.
Details on the outcome of Romero's misdemeanor charge or any development in Jane Doe's lawsuit against him and the city of Anaheim remain updates to watch for as the situation unfolds and the legal processes progress. In the meantime, the officer remains off duty, and the City of Anaheim and the Anaheim Police Department are refraining from further public comment pending the outcome of the investigations.
