Police officer accused of groping handcuffed, pregnant woman
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AUBURN, Wash. -- An Auburn police officer is under investigation for allegedly groping a pregnant and handcuffed woman.
The incident happened at 1:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning last month. The alleged victim, Hannah Thompson, said she was so traumatized that she's now afraid to be home alone because the officer knows were she lives.
Thompson said she got an uncomfortable feeling when spotted a police officer as she left the Sports Page Bar in Auburn.
"I had made eye contact with him and I kind of got just a weird vibe," she said.
She drove away, and said the officer followed her the two blocks to her house.
"When I went to get out of the car he was like, 'Get back in the car,' and this whole time I didn't even know he was behind me. His lights weren't on or nothing," Thompson said.
Thompson claims the officer accused her of trying to elude him.
"He asked if I had something to drink, I said I had a glass of wine earlier at the Muckleshoot. I'm pregnant and can't drink," she said.
She said the officer administered sobriety tests, then handcuffed her and put her in his patrol car. Thompson claims the officer said she smelled like pot and he would have to search her.
"He went down my shirt in the front, underneath the wire," she said.
Thompson said the officer never looked in her jacket or back pockets, but did put his hand down the front of her pants.
"He started at the left side and went to the right side, and as he got to the front he kind of went down further," she said.
Thompson began crying and the officer took off her handcuffs, but told her he wanted more information.
"He asked, like, three different times if he could come inside," Thomspson said.
Thompson contacted the Auburn Police Department and the officer was placed on paid administrative leave. The Puyallup Police Department is now conducting a criminal investigation.
"There have been no complaints like this before with this officer, and he's been with us for 4 to 5 years," said Auburn Police Commander Mike Hirman.
Thompson's fiance said she's been stressed out and depressed ever since the incident and she miscarried last week.
"For it to be a law officer protecting to serve, who you are you going to turn to next if you feel you can't turn to them?" said Thompson's fiance, Benjamin Mayfield.
Puyallup police will forward the results of their investigation to the King County Prosecutor.
Regardless of whether or not charges are filed, the Auburn Police Department will conduct its own investigation of the officers.
The incident happened at 1:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning last month. The alleged victim, Hannah Thompson, said she was so traumatized that she's now afraid to be home alone because the officer knows were she lives.
Thompson said she got an uncomfortable feeling when spotted a police officer as she left the Sports Page Bar in Auburn.
"I had made eye contact with him and I kind of got just a weird vibe," she said.
She drove away, and said the officer followed her the two blocks to her house.
"When I went to get out of the car he was like, 'Get back in the car,' and this whole time I didn't even know he was behind me. His lights weren't on or nothing," Thompson said.
Thompson claims the officer accused her of trying to elude him.
"He asked if I had something to drink, I said I had a glass of wine earlier at the Muckleshoot. I'm pregnant and can't drink," she said.
She said the officer administered sobriety tests, then handcuffed her and put her in his patrol car. Thompson claims the officer said she smelled like pot and he would have to search her.
"He went down my shirt in the front, underneath the wire," she said.
Thompson said the officer never looked in her jacket or back pockets, but did put his hand down the front of her pants.
"He started at the left side and went to the right side, and as he got to the front he kind of went down further," she said.
Thompson began crying and the officer took off her handcuffs, but told her he wanted more information.
"He asked, like, three different times if he could come inside," Thomspson said.
Thompson contacted the Auburn Police Department and the officer was placed on paid administrative leave. The Puyallup Police Department is now conducting a criminal investigation.
"There have been no complaints like this before with this officer, and he's been with us for 4 to 5 years," said Auburn Police Commander Mike Hirman.
Thompson's fiance said she's been stressed out and depressed ever since the incident and she miscarried last week.
"For it to be a law officer protecting to serve, who you are you going to turn to next if you feel you can't turn to them?" said Thompson's fiance, Benjamin Mayfield.
Puyallup police will forward the results of their investigation to the King County Prosecutor.
Regardless of whether or not charges are filed, the Auburn Police Department will conduct its own investigation of the officers.
Seattle's finest at their best again. I know. If the NAACP and Al Sharpton wasn't on television at the sports bar. This never would have happen.
She needs to get a shotgun to protect herself at home.This cop will get nothing done to him. Doesn't matter that another police department is investigating. They all cover for each other. I say sue the hell out of them. I don't usually say that but he won't get in trouble.
This whole story sounds kind of made up for some reason.
Well to all the anti-gunners that say only Police and Military should carry a firearm........Thousands upon thousands of cases like this and other misdeeds make me think , "BAD IDEA". Keep your guns. Protect your families.
There was no witness. This will unfortunately be a he-said/she-said situation where the cop is always believed. I do think the girl is telling the truth about being followed and not officially stopped and then felt up. I think the cop will probably have to answer to not following proper protocol. He did generate his bogus probable cause by claiming to smell mary-j so he will be able to say that it was only a search. But he made numerous procedural blunders that he will have to answer for. One, that he did not call it in and two, that he did not get a woman cop to perform search. My prediction is that he will get a quick retraining session and nothing else. The cops superiors have already gone on record saying he has nothing like this in his personnel file. Too bad there isn't a video. I think they will tell her there is nothing to confirm her accusations and it will be up to her at that point whether she wants to proceed with a civil suit.Â
hummm Seems officer Friendly likes to play rough:)
Lets hear from the cop and get his side of the story. If he was on duty he has standard procedures to check in with the central dispatch. Then lets comment on this, sound like the girl is a floozy that is looking for a way out of a situation and to pin her loss on someone.
So the cop has never had anything like this in his file? Really, with all the things that keep coming up with cops because of the video recordings now discovering what cops are being caught with, wonder why his "video" recorder wasn't on and of course there probably wasn't anything in his file, most of the time there wouldn't be I think if they don't run their recorder's! Sad that you would think this girl would "blame" her miscarraige under a false situation, like she had nothing better to do! I'd say there is a whole lot more suspicion on his part than her's!!!
She seems like the type that a pervert cop would prey on. If what she said is true, he shouldn't be rewarded with a paid vacation. Wouldn't there have been some sort of tracking system or dash cam to prove he followed her that night? That alone is harassment.
its not the cops fault he moolights as a TSA agent LOL
Again the pig thugs rape a woman and get a paid vacation for it. Why is there no justice in the world anymore?
 @Michele morgan OK big difference in rape and grope. it sounds like he did a standard search to check for drugs. You need to pull your head out of the sky and stop defending stupid people.
 @Tanner Scheid  @Michele morgan right, but he didnt search her pockets, just her bra and pants. that's standard?
 @Morgan Everett  @Tanner Scheid  @Michele morgan you believe everything you see on TV?
I'm so sick and tired of reading about thug cops.
 @Fluoric I'm sick and tired of thugs getting paid millions by the taxpayer for making up fake stories
Polygraph test now!
 @Vince Polygraphs are one of the most unreliable ways to determine if someone is guilty.
I wonder how many of these comments would not exist or would be of a different tone, if the guy next to her was white and in a suit? Or if she had not had a said she had been in a casino an had a drink while pregnant? People truly are interesting, that's for sure . . . . more of them should look in the mirror and see who they really are.
 @ThinkN_Do Or if the guy next to her didn't have a criminal record?
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Benjamin Mayfield
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Name: Benjamin Mayfield Location: Kent, WA Arrest Date: 2013-01-22
Charges: MISD VIOL PROTECTION ORDER, Probation/Parole Violation C00009089KCS/WRT UDC
Just so we can dispell all of the bad advise being given by people defending this bimbo..."Because there are so many unknowns, the CDC, the U.S. Surgeon General, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Pediatrics advise pregnant women not to drink alcohol at all". This is taken out of the below article written on the subject on WebMD. It is a stupid idea to risk your baby drinking ANY alcohol while pregnant. It is also not a good idea to drive anywhere after drinking even if you are not pregnant!
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http://www.webmd.com/baby/features/drinking-alcohol-during-pregnancy
 @sometimesright There is plenty of scientific research that shows zero evidence of light drinking during pregnancy causing any problems with babies/children. Many women in Europe have a glass of wine with dinner while pregnant. They've done long-term studies on their children and there was no difference between them and the children of women who abstained completely. There's nothing wrong with abstaining during pregnancy, but villainizing women who make an educated decision based on scientific evidence is stupid too. America is a litigious society, the medical organizations make recommendations based on what is least likely to get them sued, not what science says. Just look at our c-section rates, and how few hospitals are willing to let women attempt VBACs.Not that I think the girl in this particular story is necessarily telling the truth about anything...
Who is to say that she was pregnant to start with? Also ... She could have known this man personally out side of his job, and being he was with someone else would have meant she would have been the woman on the side ... "But baby, I'm pregnant ... Why not be with me"?! I'm rage,and jealousy she makes a call to her local police station where he works to say this man groaped me. Now the officer is sitting at home trying to figure out how the heck he is gonna get out of this. If she was pregnant .... What if it was his?! Omg ... she was still the chick on the side, and no one knew. This woman can't be serious to think she is going to get paid because the story does not add up. If this is the officers 1st complaint in 4 or 5 yrs of working there wth makes her so special? Sorry but most of us know a fake when we see one.
This women is not so smart. I guess that was her baby daddy standing next to her. Her tummy wasn't big either so I tend to think its a scam on the PoPo so she can get some easy money.Â
 @JD I agree with the other girl she wouldn't have a big tummy but it is a scam. trying to get free money.  investigate the girl too, she if she is in financial trouble and looking for a way out.  BTW that the crap is she doing drinking when she has a child on board? people wonder kids kids are getting stupid, needy and retarded.
 @JD You don't really start showing until three months or so into the pregnancy. Everyone's different, my friend had a baby and you couldn't really tell she was unless she turned sideways.
 @JD They said she miscarried last week, sooooo why would her belly be large?
If I were called for jury duty, and the case involved somebody who put a bullet thru this cop's head, I would vote "not guilty."
HEYÂ FREEMAN I WOULD DO THE SAME IF I WAS ON THE JURY IF YOU GOT KILLED ...SHE IS LIEING AND SHOULD BE ARESSTEDÂ FOR SLANDERWHATÂ HAPPEND IS SHE GOT DUMPED AND NEEDS MONEY
 @SUN_RUNNER why are you yelling?
Where the hell are all these comments coming from attacking the victim?  She is not allowed to have an evening out because that is just asking for trouble? Where all you morons coming from with this canât have an occasional glass of wine (beer, 1 mixed drink) because she will lose the baby. Talk about a bunch of ignorant jackasses. She was followed but not pulled over. She arrived home and was on her property. She had not been stopped, nor was she arrested or charged with anything. Without anything else, this smells of harassment. Add her allegations of sexual misconduct and you have an out of control cop. The âthin blue lineâ will protect him until he slips up and there is a witness.  Â
Oldster70, this is why people are afraid to report rape and sexual assault-- they get torn apart rather than the perp. Their life gets put under the microscope and everything they have to go through in the legal system can be like being victimized a second time. The chances of a conviction are startlingly low and the chances the suspect will be incarcerated even lower (no more than 2 in 100 actual rapes according to EVAWI). You may continue to be in danger from the person who assaulted you for years, especially if they are enraged that the assault was reported and it could affect their employment or income.
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In this case her lifestyle may make her vulnerable and more attractive to a predator. Maybe he thought he'd have a better chance of getting away with it because of the circumstances. Having a glass of wine, being pregnant, her boyfriend, her car, her bar, whatever-- why should any of those factors affect whether or not an objective investigation be done? People make it sound like she should have to be a bicycle-riding nun to be taken seriously. If the criminal justice system functioned on initial snap assessments of the credibility of victims rather than focusing on the criminal and deviant behavior of the alleged perp, we'd be back in the Dark Ages.
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Just because this officer's never had a complaint before doesn't mean he hasn't done something like this before-- think of similar cases where other victims came forward after one finally stood up and sought help. If she's lying, she can be charged with filing a false report. If he's guilty, there needs to be professional and legal consequences. But he's the one on the hot seat here, not her.
@oldster70 If anyone is the ignorant jackass here, it's you for reading and believing anything komo claims to be news. Shramm had less opinion in his crap then any other "journalists" offer.
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 @SUN_RUNNER How do you know she invited him over?
What was she doing out at those hours in the morning, drinking and pregnant? Just asking for trouble. For some reason I feel like she's lying.
having a glass of wine while pregnant once a month is not bad for a baby.
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 @Jennifer Swart While I question the sanity of ANY woman who drinks anything with alcohol while pregnant, it seems that she was drinking a little more than one glass a month. Being at two bars in the middle of the night and probably around pot, makes it seem like a little more than a glass a month was going on here.
 @Jody Baker She admitted she was drinking! Read the story! I can't believe people are defending her? She admitted drinking at one bar, was caught coming out of a 2nd bar at 1:30 in the morning and smelled like pot. At the least she was drinking and driving. I will give the benefit of the doubt to the cop, not this bar hopping floozy! Just drinking while pregnant and bar hopping around or near pot smokers loses her credibility in my book!
 @sometimesright  @Jennifer Swart You are making an assumption. How do you know she was "probably around pot"? Further just because someone is in a bar doesn't mean they drink something in that bar.
 @Gigi I remember back in college reading a book called "blaming the victim".
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It's a common way we react to other's pains.
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Odd but true. Â
 @sunnysandiego Kind of like putting someone on trial in the media when you only get the side of the story from the drunk and high person?
 @Jody Baker When there are two sides to a story I usually give the cop the benefit of the doubt when the other side of the story is a drunk, pot smoking, pregnant bar hopper, who likes to drive after drinking!Â
 @sometimesright  @sunnysandiego How would you suggest an out of control cop be handled?
Maybe she lost the baby due to drinking ????
Remove the fact that she was pregnant or had wine. If this cop did this, he needs to be fired. If he didn't, he needs to be vindicated. The rest of the details are irrelevant.Â
I think there is way more to this story that what we are reading. Like I bet this girl was messing around with another guy maybe this cop and things went bad so she made up this entire thing. Just the entire thing seams fishy.
"He asked if I had something to drink, I said I had a glass of wine earlier at the Muckleshoot. I'm pregnant and can't drink," she said.
Errrr..........as a female with a slight build like hers, nothing will put me on my lips faster than a glass of wine. Â Because it's DRINKING. Â I'm sorry she lost her baby though.
Regardless, if this did happen as she states, he is a Grade A Creep who needs to be prosecuted.
 @Doxie Thing that bugs me is she said she had a glass of wine at muckleshoot but then went to another bar(which I'm assuming she had a drink there too) and then drove. It's not that she had a drink, one will not hurt the baby but one glass of wine would impair her driving.
 @Doxie Hey Woodinville, where does it say she lost her baby?
 @Hopp Woodinville?  It's on the video too.
 @Hopp  @Doxie "Thompson's fiance said she's been stressed out and depressed ever since the incident and she miscarried last week." Fourth paragraph from the bottom.