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Indianapolis, Indiana – A former cop for the city of Indianapolis was arrested and charged with rape on Tuesday, after authorities said the Black civil servant used his position to “take advantage” of a domestic violence victim he was supposed to assist.

In a statement by the Indianapolis Metro Police Department (IMPD), police announced that 27-year-old Myron Howard—who was a probationary officer with the IMPD—had been charged in Marion County with rape, official misconduct, and several additional misdemeanor crimes.

The IMPD said its officers had been dispatched to a domestic violence call around 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 6th to a home on the northeast side. During the investigation, a suspect was taken into custody. When officers left the scene, however, the IMPD claimed that Officer Howard returned to the residence by himself.

According to court documents, an unidentified victim claimed that Howard had pressured her to have sex, using his badge and authority to rape her a mere fifteen minutes after a domestic violence incident. The IMPD clarified that Howard was on duty when the alleged rape occurred.

“Not even like 15 minutes after police left, I see flashlights outside my house and I hear a knock on my door,” the victim said to police. “I opened my door, and (there) was the officer (Howard)…He’s like, you know you could’ve went to jail too but I didn’t say anything, so I need you to do something for me.”

“I thought he wanted sex, like because he was very persistent about coming in the house, so I just let him. At that time, I felt obliged to do what he tells me,” they continued. Court documents then go on to describe a scene where Howard is alleged to have taken the victim to a bedroom, removed his gunbelt, and raped them.

The act was said to have taken approximately ten minutes, during which time the victim completely disassociated from reality. Alarmingly, Howard is then believed to have continued to harass the victim via text messages, using the name “Mason” as a cover.

“The allegations made in the probable cause affidavit are deeply disappointing and disturbing,” said police Chief Chris Bailey. “His alleged actions not only violated his sacred oath to our community, but he abused his power and took advantage of a victim when she was vulnerable.”

Shockingly, the victim’s ordeal would continue. Court documents further allege that after a separate domestic violence call a month later, Howard showed up at the victim’s house again with a flashlight, tapping on the windows of the home, and asking to come inside.

When IMPD began their investigation of Howard, they noticed his squad car had been geographically located near the victim’s address for a “significant” amount of time. When interviewed by police, Howard admitted to returning to the home, and even having sex with the victim, which he claimed was “consensual.”

The interview would also unmask a series of stunning admissions made by Howard. According to court documents, the Black officer is alleged to have confessed to having sex an unknown amount of times while working as a police officer, including a “handful of times” while stationed in Yorktown, and others while in Anderson, Indiana.

Court documents state that Howard admitted to having sex on duty with multiple other victims, whose incidents went unreported. IMPD detectives recounted an incident where Howard allegedly offered a crash victim a ride home before requesting “gas or ass” from her. They are then said to have had sexual intercourse in the back of his squad car before he drove her home.

“I usually carry a condom in my wallet,” the officer is quoted as saying. “Not to be graphic, but I carry it there because, almost five years been a cop, um, ladies hit on me a lot, and I’m not getting another lady pregnant.”

“It sounds really bad, like I don’t even know what to say to that…It’s like yes, I did that, but it’s like none of that was forced and nothing was even suggested by me. It was just offered,” he continued.

At the conclusion of a months-long investigation into Howard’s alleged sex offenses, detectives amassed substantial evidence and provided it to Marion County prosecutors. On Tuesday, Howard was officially charged with rape, criminal confinement, two counts of official misconduct, making an unlawful proposition, public indecency, and public nudity.

He is being held in custody on a $100,000 bond and no longer works for the Indianapolis police. His next hearing is in May.

“Our collective organization finds the allegations disturbing, disappointing, and deeply troubling, read a statement by the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police. “We applaud the IMPD and the Chief of Police for moving quickly to investigate and bring forth their findings which resulted in criminal charges and separation from the police department.”

“We look forward to the completion of the justice process, recognizing that all are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. As such, we remain focused on enforcing the law regardless of who it involves,” it continued.

The abhorrent crimes that Myron Howard is alleged to have carried out while on duty track with similar stories of Black police misconduct in the United States. In February, a Black officer working for the Commerce City police department in Colorado was arrested and charged with “felony sexual assault on a victim incapable of giving consent.”

According to reports, the suspect in that case is said to have taken advantage of a drunk woman while on a date, but a witness believed he may have drugged her at a local bar.

In 2017, 40-year-old White, Australian-American Justine Damond was shot and killed after calling 911 to report a disturbance near her home in Minneapolis. The killer, 31-year-old Somali Police officer Mohamed Noor, shot Damond through the open window of his squad car after “getting spooked.”

At the conclusion of a trial in 2019, Noor was convicted and sentenced to only 12 and a half years in prison for the crime. Damond’s family would later sue the city of Minneapolis, earning them a $20 million settlement. The incident serves, however, as another example of racial double standards latent in criminal sentencing

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