The
Indianapolis police officer involved in a standoff with a SWAT team on Feb. 14
has been arrested in connection with his actions against a former girlfriend
who had broken off the relationship.
Craig
Ratcliff, 54, faces preliminary charges on three felony counts of stalking, one
misdemeanor count of battery and 26 misdemeanor counts of invasion of privacy.
On Feb.
14, a distraught Ratcliff kept a SWAT team from his own Indianapolis
Metropolitan Police Department at bay for more than four hours at a Northside
park before surrendering. That day, the officer was toting Valentine's Day
gifts while standing on a small hill in the park in full uniform, with a gun at
his side and a cellphone to his ear. Traffic in the area was tied up for hours
while a police negotiator, a pastor and family members tried to persuade
officer Craig Ratcliff, 54, to give himself up.
Ratcliff
surrendered that day at 1 p.m. and was placed in an ambulance that took him to
Wishard Memorial Hospital for psychological evaluation and treatment. No shots
were fired, and no one was injured. Police said Ratcliff was carrying a small
box of candy, a greeting card and a stuffed Minnie Mouse. Investigators at that
time would not say what triggered the standoff, but the affidavit released
today by the Marion County Prosecutors office makes clear that it pertained to
Ratcliff's relationship with a woman named Miguelina Reyes.
The
woman, after breaking off a relationship with the officer, had sought and received
a protective order against the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
officer, the document states, but Ratcliff violated the order. The document
indicates Ratcliff continually called and texted the woman and repeatedly sent
her flowers against her wishes.
The
officer was married to another woman during parts of his relationship with
Reyes, the document states, and the woman first broke off the relationship in
April 2009 when she learned of Ratcliff’s marriage.
Ratcliff
was being held this afternoon at the Marion County Jail.
The
battery charge stems from an incident on Jan. 8, 2011, at a local club when
Ratcliff, angry that Reyes would not say she was “his lady,” allegedly grabbed
the woman in a choke hold, causing bruises.
No
initial court hearing has been scheduled.