[Peace-discuss] Danville story

[Brian Dolinar]

Any of you Danvillites hear about this?
I wonder what the punishment will be for this one.

BD

 [image: The News-Gazette.com]   Former officer indicted on 49 counts By The
News-Gazette Friday April 13, 2007

DANVILLE – A former part-time Belgium police officer has been indicted on
charges that he used his position to sexually abuse more than 13 victims.

David Lewis, 45, currently of Lafayette, Ind., faces 49 charges.

They include 21 counts of official misconduct, a Class 3 felony; 10 counts
of armed violence, a Class X felony; seven counts of criminal sexual
assault, a Class 1 felony; seven counts of aggravated criminal sexual
assault, a Class X felony; three counts criminal sexual abuse and one count
of obstructing justice, both Class 4 felonies.

In court records, prosecutors accused Lewis of:

– Showing a woman nude photographs.

– Exposing himself to several women.

– Sexually assaulting women and making them perform oral sex on him.

– Giving a woman a controlled substance.

– Kissing a woman and grabbing her between the legs.

Lewis pleaded not guilty to the charges when he was arraigned in Vermilion
County Circuit Court on Thursday.

He is being held at the Danville Public Safety Building on a $250,000 bond,
meaning he would have to post $25,000 to be released.

Lewis is set to return to court on a felony arraignment at 11 a.m. on April
26. If he's convicted of a Class X felony, he faces a minimum of 15 years in
prison, Vermilion County State's Attorney Frank Young said.

Authorities said Lewis was a part-time police officer for Belgium for at
least two years up until the end of February, when he was fired. He also
occasionally worked as a police officer in Westville.

The Vermilion County sheriff's department began investigating Lewis in March
2006, when a woman filed a complaint against him, Capt. Rod Kaag said. The
woman accused him of assaulting her.

"He was acting in his capacity as a police officer when this occurred," Kaag
said. He added police believe Lewis knew all of his victims and did not
select them randomly.

Through the investigation, authorities discovered 12 more victims, Kaag
said. He said alleged incidents of misconduct and abuse go back to September
2004.

"We're anticipating more (victims) will probably come forward now that this
has happened," Kaag said.

A Vermilion County grand jury indicted Lewis on Wednesday morning. Kaag
arrested him at 3:30 p.m. that day, after he turned himself in at the Public
Safety Building.
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Find this article at:
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/2007/04/13/former_officer_indicted_on__counts
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 --
Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
303 W. Locust St.
Urbana, IL 61801
briandolinar at gmail.com
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