A Louisville narcotics detective was accused multiple times of using charges against drug addicts to extort them into sex. He was able to resign and prosecutors never charged him, DOJ says.

• A Louisville detective was accused of extorting women charged with drug possession with sex.
• He resigned before the investigation into him was complete and he was never charged, the DOJ says.

A narcotics detective with the Louisville Metro Police Department was accused multiple times of using charges against female drug addicts to extort them into sex, but he was allowed to resign and was never charged for his actions, a Department of Justice investigation into the LMPD's conduct found.

The report, released Wednesday, followed an investigation launched in April 2021 to investigate whether the LMPD practices a pattern of unlawful policing.

In the report, the DOJ accused the LMPD of not appropriately investigating officers accused of sexual misconduct and domestic violence. The report also found that units tapped to investigate claims of domestic violence do not conduct "thorough" investigations and often disregard evidence.

In one example, a woman accused an LMPD narcotics detective of having sex with her daughter, whom he had previously charged with drug possession. The daughter told investigators that the detective sent her nude photos and then leveraged her charges to get her to return the favor.

"If he's doing it to me, he's doing it to somebody else," the daughter told investigators.

The investigator then "lost track of the victim and closed the investigation as 'appears unfounded' without then undertaking any additional investigation such as trying to locate the detectives' other victims," the DOJ said in its report.

Five years later, three more women came forward accusing the same detective of similar actions. A different investigator found the man had "target[ed] drug addicts" and "low income individuals, mostly living in the Portland
neighborhood" for sexual coercion, the report alleged.

But before the second investigation could be completed, the detective resigned.

"The Commonwealth Attorney later declined to prosecute the detective, stating that the statute of limitations had run on most potential charges, and that the grand jury did not indict the detective on another charge," the DOJ report said.

"This is a challenging and pivotal point for our city, our department, and our officers," Interim Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said of the DOJ report Wednesday. "Now that the DOJ has concluded their investigation and presented their findings, we will continue our efforts in improving public safety in Louisville and making LMPD the premier police department in the country."

"We are committed to ensuring police practices not only reflect constitutional principles, but the values of the
communities served by LMPD. We recognize that the process of reform is complex and will require sustained
effort," Gwinn-Villaroel added.

The years-long DOJ investigation found evidence that police officers with the department were violating citizens' constitutional rights, detailing horrific instances of police abuse that largely went unpunished.

It was first announced over a year after Breonna Taylor was killed by police in her home in March 2020.