Jackson
police are investigating an allegation that one of the department’s patrol
officers raped a woman at her apartment while the officer was off-duty.
The
officer’s name was not released Thursday because no charges have been filed
against him.
A
39-year-old woman reported that the officer raped her inside her Jackson
apartment on April 4, according to Jackson Police Chief Gill Kendrick. The
woman told investigators the officer she accused of rape is an acquaintance of
hers.
On
the day the incident was reported, the officer was put on paid administrative
leave while the investigation is conducted by the Jackson Police Department’s
Criminal Investigation Division, Kendrick said.
“Once
we’ve completed the investigation, initially we will take it to the district
attorney general for discernment as to what direction we go from there,”
Kendrick said.
Kendrick
said he is unsure of how long the investigation might take.
“I
don’t know exactly how many things might comprise the investigation, whether or
not there’s any serology, anything like that, that we have to wait for to get a
response back,” Kendrick said.
Kendrick
said the officer has had no prior problems in his record with the department.
The officer has worked there less than two years, which is the probationary
period for new officers.
Police
said no further comments can be made at this time