Dennis RomeroAn 18-year-old woman says she had sex with a Los Angeles police officer when she was 17, which could constitute statutory rape in California. She gave LA Weekly a paternity test that shows a 99 percent probability that the officer is the father of her child, born Dec. 11.
Maria Rodriguez turned 18 in July (you can do the math). The officer, reached while he was on-duty this week at the LAPDs Holleneck station, acknowledged that he knows Rodriguez, but said “I don't want to” talk about the situation.
The LAPD, while also expressing some knowledge of the allegations, essentially had no comment, stating that it's a personnel matter. In fact, the reason Rodriguez came forward (and this gets a little complicated) …
… is that she says the department targeted the wrong cop in its internal investigation of her allegations.
A snippet from the paternity test.
She says she started a relationship with another Hollenbeck officer, who happens to be in his early 40s, after she turned 18. She says he had been a friend of the family and gave advice to her father.
She says the LAPD targeted that officer, accused him of being the baby's father and ultimately fired him over their relationship — for doing personal work on the city's time. She says he's fighting for his job with the help of the Los Angeles police union.
In response to a question of whether it was representing the second cop, Los Angeles Police Protective League President Paul M. Weber said:
… the LAPPL does not comment on personnel matters involving members nor do we disclose who we are representing . I can tell you that the League provides a number of services for members including contract negotiations, legal representation for members, representation with grievances, arbitrations and unfair labor practices, assistance with workers' compensation claims, sick leave, injured-on-duty matters and service and disability pensions.
An LAPD lieutenant questioned Rodriguez's credibility in the matter and said the 40-something boyfriend was still employed by the department.
Although it appears the alleged father, said to be 37, has not publicly claimed the baby boy is his, Rodriguez says she's had to defend her custody in court. (She showed the Weekly documents which seem to support this claim).
Rodriguez also claims that the cop has stalked her and parked near her Eastside house — both on and off-duty — on several occasions.
She says she developed a relationship with second officer after turning to him for advice about her pregnancy and the alleged stalking. He advised her, she said, to take her claims to internal affairs investigators.
Ironically, she says, those investigators turned on the second cop.
“They relieved him of duty,” Rodriguez says. “Nothing ever happened with him. All he ever did was help with a term paper.”
She says she developed the relationship two weeks after her 18th birthday.
But, Rodriguez says, LAPD investigators became aggressive in their inquiry, coming to her home and that of her current boyfriend. She says cops served a search warrant at her home. She says the department also sought DNA evidence from both officers to determine paternity.
Of the father, she says:
“After he found out I was pregnant he told me to kill the baby — get rid of it — because it was evidence against him.”
She says her boyfriend has been working as a security guard and just wants his job back.
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