ELWOOD, Kan. (AP) — A Missouri woman is suing a northeastern Kansas city and one of its former police officers who pleaded guilty to sexual battery for groping her during an arrest two years ago.
The woman is suing the city of Elwood and former Officer Aaron Newberry for an undisclosed amount. The lawsuit accuses them of negligent infliction of emotional distress.
The Associated Press generally doesn’t name victims of sexual assault.
The lawsuit says the woman was at a party in Elwood in July 2018 when Newberry arrested her for having a small amount of marijuana. Newberry handcuffed and placed her in the front seat of his patrol car.
On the way to the Doniphan County Jail, Newberry called the woman a “beautiful girl” and later asked if her breasts were real, the lawsuit says. When she didn’t answer, he reached under her shirt and groped her as she pleaded with him to stop, according to the lawsuit.
The woman immediately reported the assault, and Newberry was later fired and charged with two counts. He pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated sexual battery and is now a registered sex offender.
An attorney for the city of Elwood, Joel Euler, did not immediately return a message left Tuesday by The Associated Press seeking comment. A phone number for Newberry could not be found Tuesday.