Fort Lauderdale Cop Escapes Hooker's Sex Assault Charges
Prosecutors said they couldn't go on the word of a crack-addicted prostitute without evidence -- but that Gerome Wright is persona non grata
Tom Dart is hot on the trail of Chicago hookers.
A Fort Lauderdale police officer accused of forcing a prostitute to perform oral sex on him at gunpoint in his patrol car will escape charges, but may be permanantly barred from a return to the force.
Authorities said former officer Gerome Wright, 27, is still under scrutiny. But prosecutors said there was a lack of evidence in the infamous charges of three years ago, in which the woman met up with Wright, with whom she allegedly had previous consensual sexual encounters, days after she said she was gang-raped.
When she informed a uniformed Wright of that crime and explained she didn't feel up to any sexual activity, she told police, the on-duty officer put the gun to her head and said, "This is the life you chose."
"There are many difficulties in pursuing criminal charges," wrote Assistant State Attorney Michael Horowitz, according to the Sun-Sentinel. "There are no independent witnesses or physical evidence to support the allegation."
Horowitz also questioned whether the woman, a crack-addict with a record of arrests and mental illness, could be relied upon without corrorborating evidence.
The allegations came as Wright was being terminated after less than a year on the job for missteps including sleeping on the job, so it doesn't seem like Fort Lauderdale will miss him either way.
Posted Sunday, Jul 4, 2010 - 12:59 PM EST
