Fired IMPD officer charged after investigation revealed 'deeply disturbing' rape case
INDIANAPOLIS — A now-former officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has been charged with rape and numerous other offenses after an investigation surfaced allegations involving two women who had called police for help.
Myron Leonardo Howard, 27, a 1-year veteran of the department's North District, faces charges in a seven-count indictment in what the city's police chief called a "deeply disappointing" and "disturbing" case.
The charges include rape, criminal confinement, two counts of official misconduct, making an unlawful proposition, public indecency and public nudity.
"His alleged actions not only violated his sacred oath to our community, but he abused his power and took advantage of a victim when she was most vulnerable. His actions do not represent the brave women and men who serve Indianapolis with integrity every single day. My prayers are with the victim during this difficult time," Police Chief Christopher Bailey said on Tuesday.
The investigation began when a domestic violence report was made to Indianapolis officers shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 6. Responding police arrested a woman's boyfriend on preliminary domestic battery-related charges. Not long after officers left the scene, police said Howard returned to the home, in the 2700 block of Olney Street, where the assault occurred. He's further alleged to have turned off his body-worn camera at the time.
According to court records, the woman told investigators Howard persistently asked to come into her house when he came back, and she felt obliged to do whatever he said because he repeatedly told her that he saw her pull her boyfriend into the home during the domestic call, which "was a domestic charge itself." She worried not complying would cause her legal trouble.
"I didn’t feel like I had the power to say no ... because he was a police officer holding something against me," she said, according to court records.
The woman's attorney nearly a month later contacted detectives to report the allegations, which led to further interviews.
Howard told investigators the sex was consensual and that he used a condom.
“I usually carry a condom in my wallet,” the officer told investigators, according to court documents. “Not to be graphic, but I carry it there because, almost five years been a cop, um, ladies hit on me a lot.”
As the investigation wrapped, Bailey terminated Howard on March 14. The move was commended by the city's police union.
"Our collective organization finds the allegations disturbing, disappointing and deeply troubling," the union's president, Rick Snyder, said in a prepared statement. "We applaud the IMPD and the Chief of Police for moving quickly to investigate and bring forth their findings which resulted in criminal charges and separation from the police department."
On Monday, detectives brought the allegations to the Marion County Prosecutor's Office for a charging decision. Howard's initial hearing in the case is set for Thursday.
Court records state Howard told investigators that the woman invited him into the house and they had sex. When asked why he returned to the scene, he replied he was "looking at houses to buy."
Investigators learned the case was not the first time Howard had sex on duty with someone calling for assistance. A woman told police she had gotten into a crash last summer and Howard was one of three officers who responded.
Howard returned to the crash about 15 minutes after leaving and asked if she needed a ride, under the condition she had sex with him, court documents state. The woman said she agreed because she didn't have another way to get home but knew it was wrong for a police officer to make such a request.
The woman told investigators that Howard drove her to her workplace at the IndyStar’s Georgetown Road printing facility, where she said they had sex in the parking lot. IndyStar does not generally publish identifying information of victims of sexual assault cases but is providing this detail in full transparency. Four counts in the indictment — official misconduct, making an unlawful proposition, public indecency and public nudity — are tied to that interaction.
Howard also told investigators he'd had sex on duty while working for the Yorktown and Anderson police departments, according to court records. IndyStar has reached out to both departments for more information.
Howard is jailed in Marion County.
Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis police officer fired, arrested in 'disturbing' rape case
