Obtained civil suit: 3 former BRPD cops accused of abusing badge in sex related case

Obtained civil suit: 3 former BRPD cops accused of abusing badge in sex related case
Published: Apr. 7, 2016 at 8:12 PM CDT|Updated: Apr. 7, 2016 at 10:00 PM CDT
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BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - A civil lawsuit filed by an unnamed woman is hoping three former Baton Rouge Police officers will have to pay her for damages.

The lawsuit was supposed to be sealed, meaning no one can get their hands on it until a judge orders it unsealed. The victim's attorney, Carl Babin, requested "this matter shall remain sealed," but, the presiding judge never signed off on the request.

In it, a woman claims that on Feb. 4, 2014, she and a friend were at a BREC park on Old Hammond Hwy. She said three Baton Rouge Police officers, in their marked cars and in full uniform, threatened her saying "because her vehicle was parked at a BREC Park after dark, that her vehicle would be towed and that she would be arrested."

The suit went on to say the officers told her friend to go home leaving her at the park alone with the three officers. That's when the lawsuit alleges Officer Isaac Bolden, who had only been with BRPD for a year at that time, asked her "what she was willing to do in order for her car not to be towed and/or not be arrested."

The victim claims Officer Bolden then told her to get back in her car with him. Once inside, she claims she was "given an ultimatum by defendant, Officer Isaac Bolden, to either perform oral sex upon him or face the consequences of arrest and/or having her vehicle towed."

All the while, the suit claims, the two other officers acted as lookouts reading "Officer Emerson Jackson and Officer Travis Wheeler were aware of Officer Bolden's coercion and in fact, stood witness to the incident which transpired in petitioner's vehicle."

"He was never acting as a lookout for anyone, and he never saw any improper actions when he arrived," said Tommy Damico, who is representing Officer Jackson.

Damico said Jackson was not involved in any way.

"From the very start, he's proclaimed his innocence. He was not involved. He was not at the location until later. He does not know what if anything happened at the location," said Damico.

Harry Daniels represents Officer Travis Wheeler and said, "I know the allegations are baseless and, in court, the evidence will show the accusations are false & Travis Wheeler is ready for his day in court."

Officer Bolden, accused of assaulting the woman, resigned from the department Feb. 28, 2014, just 24 days after the alleged incident.

Later that year, a Baton Rouge Grand Jury indicted all three officers for abuse of office. The department then fired the other two officers.

All three former officers and the City of Baton Rouge are named in the suit.

The suit did not specify a dollar amount they're asking for in damages.

We reached out to the attorney for Officer Bolden. He did not return our calls.

The attorney for the city, Tedrick Knightshead, said, "No comment."

The civil suit is on hold for now, until the criminal case against the officers heads to court. That trial was supposed to start Monday, April 4th, but it has been continued to Sept. 19th.

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