Update: Victim Sues Houston Police Officer Indicted for Multiple Sexual Assaults While On Duty



Houston Police Officer Abraham Joseph

 Houston, Texas

Houston Police Officer Abraham Joseph, recently indicted on charges of sexually assaulting a woman, is now being sued by the victim. Authorities have indicated that more victims are likely.

To recap, Officer Joseph allegedly drove up to a Houston area business where the victim was working. At the time of the arrival, the victim was standing outside of the business. Court documents indicate that Officer Joseph arrested a man at the business and also placed the woman in his police cruiser.

According to court documents, Joseph began to fondle the woman. Then, Joseph drove to a remote location and freed the man. He drove to another location, where he repeatedly assaulted the woman. At one point, the officer placed the woman on the rear of the city patrol car as he assaulted her.

Joseph previously served on the New York City police force. Joseph, who joined HPD in July 2009 and is assigned to the Southwest Patrol Division, worked alone on the late-night shift and had stopped at the business, where he picked-up the woman, a month earlier, according to the victim's attorney.

"One of the issues we want to look at is did he do this kind of conduct up in New York as well,“ the attorney said.

"The point is not merely catching after doing a bad act," the attorney said. "We give them the prerogatives to take our lives and use deadly force, so we have to make sure we get them before they do the bad acts."

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Donna Officer Arrested for Pepper Spraying Teen in Jail Without Cause

Donna, Texas

A Donna police officer seen in surveillance video pepper spraying a teen without cause is now in jail.

He is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday morning on official oppression, assault and violating the rights of a person in custody. Until he is formally charged, officials will not release the officer’s name.

A surveillance camera caught what happened in the cell a week ago.

Investigators are also looking into the possibility there are other victims of the officer.

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Houston Police Officer Charged With Multiple Sexual Assaults Update: More Victims Likely

In an earlier post, we reported on Houston Police Officer Abraham Joseph, charged with sexual assault. New updates are available from Houston. Authorities believe that more victims are likely.

HPD Police Officer Abraham Joseph

HPD Officer Charged with Sexual Assault: MyFoxHOUSTON.com

Abraham Joseph, 27, was arrested and charged on Thursday. Prosecutors with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office presented the results of an investigation into Joseph’s actions to a grand jury.

Woman from El Salvador Claims Joseph Handcuffed, Raped Her

HPD Sources Say More Victims Likely

According to Fox News in Houston, the female's attorney filed a restraining order against the officer Thursday night. That alleged victim's counsel also tells FOX he believes this officer targeted women who are illegal immigrants. Sources at HPD also say there are more victims likely out there.

He has been with the department since July 2009. He works with the Southwest Patrol Division . We're told Joseph came to Houston from the New York Police Department.

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Hardeman County Deputy Fired & Charged With Sexual Assault of a Child & Possession of a Controlled Substance

Bayou Vista, Texas

A former Bayou Vista police officer and the grandson of a Galveston County justice of the peace faces sexual assault of a child charges from a northeast Texas county.

Michael John Nelson, 24, was working as a deputy in Hardeman County when a teenage girl accused him of sexual assault, officials said.

Nelson could not be reached for comment.

Nelson joined the Hardeman County Sheriff’s Office in February 2010 and was fired from his job in September in part because of the allegations Nelson had sex with a 16-year-old neighbor, Chief Deputy Paul Nix said.

Hardeman County, which is near the Texas-Oklahoma border in northeast Texas, turned the investigation over to the Texas Rangers, which conducted a three-month investigation.

Last week, Nelson was charged with two counts of sexual assault of a minor as well as possession of a controlled substance. He turned himself in and posted $250,000 bond.

Nelson returned to Galveston County and took a job last month as a reserve officer with the Bayou Vista Police Department, Chief Ed Lucas said.

Nelson is the grandson of Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace Mike W. Nelson, who also oversees court matters for the city of Bayou Vista.

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Arlington Officer With History of Complaints Arrested on Sexual Assault charges

Arlington, Texas

An Arlington Police officer who was already on paid leave and facing criminal charges is in trouble once again.

Tibor Kovacs is now in the Dallas County Jail on sexual assault charges. He is also accused of threatening the officers who arrested him.

The 42-year-old Arlington police officer was arrested Wednesday on an aggravated sexual assault charge. The SWAT team brought him in because officers said they were concerned about his extensive weapons background and military training.

Since 2004, the Arlington officer has had 21 complaints filed against him, including one made last October for "unbecoming conduct." A woman he pulled over claimed he made sexual advances towards her, and he was placed on leave due to the complaint.

He was later suspended without pay for another stop in which supervisors said he arrested the wrong man.

Now, he's accused of choking and sexually assaulting a woman. Kovacs also faces two other charges for reportedly threatening the officers who made the arrest.

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Austin Police Officer Suspended for Lying and Neglecting Duties in Suicide Case

Austin, Texas

An Austin police officer has been suspended indefinitely after police say he did not check on the welfare of a suicidal man who fatally shot himself in September, according to a police report.

According to the report by Chief Art Acevedo, Officer Keith McCook was negligent in his duties and lied about an incident Sept. 17. Acevedo took the action after an Internal Affairs investigation that included an interview and review hearing with McCook.

McCook, who has been on the force eight years, could not be reached for comment. He will appeal the ruling, union President Sgt. Wayne Vincent said.

According to the report, which does not include the names of the victim nor the streets in which the incidents took place, McCook was dispatched to a home about 7:20 p.m. Sept. 17 to assist in a complaint. McCook spoke to a woman who was concerned about her husband’s well-being and left a few minutes later without writing a report, the report said.

A few minutes later, the woman again called 911 about her husband, who was at a different location, the report said.

McCook then called the communications supervisor to have two units removed from the call and to have it assigned to him, the report said. McCook called the woman, who said that her husband had guns in his home and was thinking about hurting himself, the report said. Instead of checking on the man or writing a report, McCook went on lunch break about 8 p.m., the report said.

A dispatcher became concerned for the man and notified the watch commander, who had McCook’s corporal order him to return to the home, the report said. McCook returned but did not investigate and did not contact his supervisor nor request a mental health officer, the report said.

The man was found the following evening in his backyard with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, the report said.

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Houston Police Officer Indicted on Multiple Sexual Assault Charges

HPD Officer Abraham Joseph

Houston, Texas

A Houston police officer was arrested by fellow officers Thursday following his indictment for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman while in his police uniform, a charge that can land him in prison for life.

Prosecutors with the Harris County District Attorney’s Public Integrity Division presented their evidence to a grand jury Thursday afternoon, and felony indictments were returned against Abraham Joseph, 27, on charges of aggravated sexual assault.

Joseph was relieved of duty after allegations of the alleged assaults came to light earlier this month, prosecutors said. District Attorney Pat Lykos applauded HPD for promptly investigating accusations against one of their own officers.

"This man was a police officer who violated the public’s trust and dishonored his badge. He used his status as a public servant to sexually assault women,’’ Lykos said. "HPD Chief Charles McClelland has been extremely cooperative in this investigation, and we will continue to work together to ensure that the citizens of Houston and Harris County can trust and rely on the men and women in uniform."

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