3 NYC police officers surrender in sodomy case
Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 10:15AM Three police officers surrendered Tuesday on felony charges stemming from claims by a tattoo parlor worker that he was sodomized with a piece of police equipment during an arrest. Officer Richard Kern has been charged with aggravated sexual abuse and assault; Officers Alex Cruz and Andrew Morales have been charged with hindering prosecution and official misconduct, according to prosecutors. In addition to those felonies, all three were charged with misdemeanors, including falsifying records.
They were indicted last week by a grand jury investigating the shocking allegations. The officers turned themselves in at the Brooklyn district attorney's office Tuesday to be processed for a court appearance. A law enforcement official said the grand jury had been presented incriminating forensic evidence collected by investigators. That evidence, combined with the eyewitness account of a fellow officer, pointed to Kern as a primary suspect, according to the official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the indictment was not yet unsealed.
