A Chicago police officer has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman while she was in custody in 2020.
A police officer named Stephan Shaw, who is 32 years old, has been stripped of his police powers and has been charged with two felony counts of custodial sexual misconduct and one felony count of official misconduct. During his first court appearance on Tuesday, a judge granted him his release from custody on the condition that he avoids any contact with the victim or her family.
Cook County prosecutors stated that Shaw was involved in the arrest of a woman for shoplifting on May 22, 2023.
While she was in a holding cell at the Near North District police station, handcuffed to a metal bar on the wall, Shaw approached the doorway and made several sexually suggestive comments about her buttocks, and asked her if she was going to let him “hit it.”
Shaw then asked her if he could touch her buttocks, and groped her over her clothing, before sticking his hand inside her shorts and touched her inappropriately, and placed her hand on his pelvic region.
Before releasing her from custody, Shaw used his phone to search for her on Facebook. Later, when she reached out to him to inquire about her next court date, Shaw asked her if she wanted to get pizza together. She responded with a heart emoji.
The woman informed her mother of the incident, and they reported it to the police.
After an investigation, Shaw was arrested and had his police powers revoked. He was also ordered to surrender his firearms at Chicago Police Headquarters.
If found guilty, he could be sentenced to serve up to five years in prison.
