Lakewood Police Officer Charged With Sexual Assault
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) -- A Lakewood Police officer is accused of sexually assaulting a woman while he was on duty. Randall Shaun Butler, 37, was arrested Wednesday evening and is charged with two felony counts of sexual assault.
The charges allege that on Nov. 16, at approximately 11 p.m., Butler approached a stranded woman in the vicinity of 10th and Sheridan. Butler offered to give the woman a ride in his patrol car to a more secure location near her home. Butler is accused of driving the woman to a vacant parking lot near 25th and Sheridan, where the alleged sexual assault occurred. Butler allegedly left the woman and drove away in his patrol car.
"The appalling and inexcusable conduct in no way embodies the Lakewood Police Department's mission 'to serve and protect with integrity, intelligence and initiative.' This behavior has no place in our department and will never be tolerated. The arrest of Butler is demoralizing to our organization. As this investigation continues, our top priorities are to remain committed to the safety and well-being of the victim, and to the pursuit of justice for our community," Chief Daniel McCasky said in a statement released by LPD.
"The investigation and prosecution of this case is of utmost importance for both the Lakewood and Denver Police Departments, and our thoughts are with the victim," the statement continued.
The woman utilized the Denver Police Department's online system SeekThenSpeak.org to report the sexual assault.
Butler was immediately put on administrative leave after the allegations were reported and he resigned from the police department on Nov. 26. He had been a member of the Lakewood Police Department since January 2013.
The Lakewood Police Department is asking anyone with any allegations of possible misconduct by Butler while on-duty to call their tip line at 303-763-6800.
