A Nigerian-American police officer, Sinmi Asomuyide, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and lying to state investigators to try to cover up the assault.
According to a statement published by the US Department of Justice, the two-count indictment was unsealed on Thursday, July 24.
Asomuyide, 31, is a former Police Department officer in Kokomo, a city in Indiana.
“The first count of the indictment charges Asomuyide, who was 31 years old, with willfully depriving Minor #1, who was 14 years old, of her constitutional rights by sexually assaulting her. The first count also charges that the defendant’s conduct included kidnapping.
“The second count of the indictment charges Asomuyide with lying to the Indiana State Police to try to cover up the assault by, among other things, denying having sexual contact with Minor #1 and denying that there would be any reason for the presence of his semen in his squad car when, in fact, he ejaculated inside his squad car after causing Minor #1’s hand to touch his exposed penis,” the statement reads.
If convicted, Asomuyide faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
