On him in his office while he was on duty also violated her civil rights, a federal judge ruled last Monday.
However, the judge did not specify whether or not former Sorrento Police Chief Earl Theriot would face any actual penalties.
Theriot’s attorney said she was surprised by the ruling, claiming the victim had less credibility than her client, according to WAFB. But Theriot, who claims the sex was consensual, was convicted in 2014 for making false statements to the FBI who were investigating the allegations, so his credibility is not exactly golden.
As a result of the conviction, he was sentenced to 24 months of probation and was forced to retire from the Sorrento Police Department. He was also ordered to pay a $2,500 fine.
The department was disbanded just over a year later.
The assault took place on Nov. 1, 2013, which reportedly left the woman suffering from depression and anxiety. The nightmare all started when the female victim was out on the town drinking with friends; some how she was dropped off at a gas station and fell asleep.
It was then that a 911 call was made reporting the intoxicated woman. Theriot was the responding officer. Theriot placed the victim in the front seat of his patrol vehicle un-handcuffed and drove her to his office.
Court records show how Theriot told the victim, “It is going to be your lucky day.”, while driving to his office. Theriot also grabbed the victims cleavage while in the patrol vehicle.
The lawsuit details that once in the office, Theriot used threats of jail to coerce the woman into performing oral sex on him twice. Outrageously enough, Theriot used the woman’s own belt to restrain her during the sexual assault.
In Theriot’s criminal deposition, the woman testified that right before the assault, Theriot sat back in his chair, spread his legs, and stated, “This better be good.”
“It’s a matter that cost me my law enforcement career and brought embarrassment to my family and town of Sorrento,” Theriot stated after his guilty plea in 2014.
To no surprise, Theriot’s lawyers claim that the woman initiated the sexual advances in a scheme to avoid going to jail.
Assistant US Attorney Alan Stevens says, “It’s more than an embarrassing situation, it’s unfortunate. [It] all took place under the color of law.”
The Sorrento Police Department has had so many run-ins over the years that their insurance company dropped them from coverage due to a barrage of claims. The six officer department was completely abolished in May 2015.
