A 54-year-old New Orleans police officer is accused of grooming a young girl for several months before he eventually raped her.
Rodney Vicknair, a 13-year veteran of the New Orleans Police Department, is accused of grooming and raping a 14-year-old girl after was assigned to take her to a hospital for a rape kit exam for a separate assault, according to the lawsuit.
Vicknair was one of the officers dispatched to the child’s home last year in response to a rape report. He then drove the teen to the Children’s Hospital New Orleans so she could undergo a rape kit.
But while waiting, the 54-year-old allegedly showed the teen some pictures on his phone of who he claimed was his 16-year-old daughter wearing lingerie and bikinis.
After the hospital visit, Vicknair called and texted the girl almost every day as he portrayed himself as her ‘mentor.’
The lawsuit said that he regularly went to the girl’s home and asked her to meet him in his vehicle. He allegedly groped the teen on many different occasions.
The lawsuit also alleges that Vicknair raped the girl on two occasions using his fingers while they were in a police car.
For four months, the cop allegedly solicited sexual acts which the teen declined. He also exposed his genitals to her on Facetime and asked her to send him naked photos.
According to the lawsuit, he struck the teen on her arm with a police baton. He also allegedly joked about killing her relatives and loved ones.
The lawsuit says that the 54-year-old had the child’s underwear when he was taken into custody.
Superintendent of Police Shaun D. Ferguson said in a statement: “As I stated from the moment this was brought to my attention, this type of alleged behavior will not be condoned or tolerated.
“These alleged actions are clear violations of the department’s policies and contrary to everything that we require and expect of our police officers.”
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Replaced!