Two St. Louis police officers were charged on Wednesday with the sexual assault of four women and a third officer was accused of tampering with a witness in the case, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Officer Lafeal Lawshea, 38, was charged with two counts of forcible rape along with counts of forcible sodomy, sexual misconduct and tampering with a victim.
He is accused of raping two women in 2009 and then sexually assaulting a civilian police department employee in 2019.
Officer Torey Phelps, 38, was charged with one count of forcible rape, allegedly assaulting an incapacitated woman at Lawshea’s home in 2010.
Charging documents state that Lawshea bought her a drink at a bar and was present for the assault. The woman reportedly asked him: “Are you going to let him do this to me?”
The third officer was charged for allegedly tampering with a witness in the case, the outlet reported.
Sgt. Jatonya Clayborn-Muldrew is accused of attempting to persuade one of the victims not to report the sexual assault against Lawshea. The sergeant also allegedly inquired into who was leading the internal affairs investigation.
St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden said in a statement obtained by the Post-Dispatch that “any allegations that compromise the integrity of the department will be investigated thoroughly and impartially.”
“Most notably, this situation should recognize the courage of several victims to come forward and share their story with my Internal Affairs Division, who they trusted to be confidential and complete,” Hayden said. “My pledge to accountability and transparency has not wavered and I hope our citizens recognize that we will make every effort to continue to work to gain their trust.”
Both Lawshea and Phelps were denied bond on Wednesday.
Court documents obtained by the outlet detailed the four separate sexual assault allegations, including the three against Lawshea and the one against Phelps.
One of the women accuses Lawshea of drugging her drink, rendering her unconscious, before he raped her at his home in 2009.
Another woman told investigators that the officer had bought her two strong drinks at a bar before raping her at his home while she begged him to stop.
The former civilian St. Louis Police Department employee told police that she declined a sexual advance from Lawshea in December 2019. She alleged that he pushed her up against a wall and sexually assaulted her.
Clayborn-Muldrew reportedly invited the alleged victim to lunch where they discussed the incident for several hours, according to the Post-Dispatch. She told the woman it was a misunderstanding and she should talk to Lawshea; however, she did detail how to go about making a complaint to internal affairs.
After the victim made an internal affairs complaint, Lawshea allegedly texted her in March 2020 asking “Are we cool?” and denied the assault.
Clayborn-Muldrew’s attorney, Peter Bruntrager, alleged the tampering charge amounts to political retaliation because his client led an investigation into misconduct by the prosecutors’ office last year.
Jim Towey, an attorney listed as representing Lawshea and Phelps, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.