A woman who claims that
she was sexually abused by a police officer in Island Park, New York, has filed
a federal lawsuit against him and his partner.
In 2011, officers Rachel Miller and Gary Zima arrested Jenny Hannigan, 27, on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. They handcuffed Hannigan and put her in the back of a squad car, and Zima got in the back seat with her. Hannigan claims that Zima put his hand up her dress while Miller drove back to the station.
“He was close to my body and
reached over at some point during the ride … and put his fingers inside of me,”
Hannigan said in a news conference Monday, according to the New York Daily
News. "I never thought something like this would happen when I was in the
custody of the police, whom I have always trusted."
She accuses Miller of doing
nothing to help her.
"I was visibly trying to
make eye contact with her and felt like she was purposefully not paying
attention to what was going on in the back seat," Hannigan said.
The suit also claims that Zima
texted Hannigan two days after the alleged sex crime to ask how she was doing,
to which she did not reply. According to WABC, Nassau Police acknowledged that
Zima obtained Hannigan's cell phone number by accessing her records.
Hannigan reported the alleged
abuse to the Nassau County Police Internal Affairs following the incident, but
they found the allegation to be "undetermined." Zima still with the
department, according to WABC.
The suit seeks $150,000 in
damages for excessive force as well as violations of Hannigan’s Fourth and
Fourteenth Amendment rights, according to the Long Island Press.
“It’s criminal conduct and yet
these officers are not being brought up on charges,” Hannigan's attorney, Amy
Marion said Monday, according to the newspaper.
Source:Naij
Source:Naij
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