A police officer from Vicksburg, Mississippi, has resigned and another has been fired in the wake of the city's investigation into allegations that a woman was sexually assaulted by an officer in the back of his car.
Derrick Dotson, the officer accused of the alleged sexual assault while on duty, resigned about a week after being placed on administrative leave. Police officer Derrick Dotson sent in his resignation Wednesday, but Mayor George Flaggs and Board of Aldermen officially accepted the resignation on Monday, April 18.
Booking office, who was already on probation from an earlier incident, was fired for not following protocol during the arrest and booking of the accuser and violating the police department's policies and procedures. Flaggs announced Dotson's resignation, as well as Harris' termination following a meeting with city officials on Monday.
Lewis Claims Officer Turned Off Camera, Radio Before Sexually Assaulting Her
The city's investigation into the two police officers after the alleged victim claimed in a now-deleted Facebook post that she was sexually assaulted in the back of a police vehicles by an on-duty police officer, according to local newspaper, the Vicksburg Post. The woman also claimed she was assaulted behind an "abandoned hospital" by the officer, who "turned his cameras and radio off."
Criminal Investigation to Follow
"I personally believe an officer ought to serve the community with honor, dignity and pride," Flaggs said, before adding that the Mississippi Attorney General's Office is investigating a criminal complaint and would determine if criminal charges are to be filed in the case.
"Anything criminal is being investigated by the Attorney General's Office, we don't have anything to do with that. We were only involved in the internal investigation of it." Flaggs noted. According to WJTV, the FBI is also investigating the case.
