An Oklahoma City cop facing accusations of sexual assault on duty has been formally charged, officials said Friday.
Daniel Ken Holtzclaw, 27, was charged with three counts of first-degree rape, seven counts of forcible oral sodomy, six counts of sexual battery, six counts of indecent exposure, and one count each of first-degree rape by instrumentation, first-degree burglary, and felonious stalking, the Oklahoma City District Attorney's office stated.
Last week, Holtzclaw was arrested after a complaint was filed against him for sexually assaulting women aged between 34 and 58. The latest documents show the 3-year veteran in the police force targeted at least seven black women this year February to June, reports the New York Daily News.
Holtzclaw attacked the victims during his 4 p.m. and 2 a.m. shifts and if they resisted he would threaten them with either arrest or physical harm. Following his arrest, the district attorney's office revealed that other victims had come up to file sexual assault charges against Holtzclaw. A cash bond of $5 million has been set for him.
Scott Adams, lawyer of Holtzclaw, appealed to the judge to reduce the bond amount to $139,000. Adams said that this amount would be in agreement with the state's bond schedule in relation with the crimes Holtzclaw committed. Moreover, Adams claimed that his client "denies he ever did anything inappropriate with anyone". The judge denied the appeal saying that Holtzclaw was a threat to the public.
"This is a tragedy," said Anthony Douglas, president of the Oklahoma chapter of the NAACP, reports KFOR. "What this is sending out a signal to the state of Oklahoma that African-Americans is prey. We do what we want to you because we hold a badge and a gun."
If convicted, Holtzclaw will end up in jail for life without any chance of getting parole. He is currently detained in the Oklahoma County jail.
