Former Tallahassee Police Officer Vincent Crump is under arrest and charged with three felony counts of sexual battery. It comes a week and a half after he was fired for allegedly assaulting a woman during a traffic stop.
The victim did not know Crump before she was pulled over on February 24th at the corner of Thomasville Road and Hermitage for driving with no headlights on. She and a group of friends were heading to a party in Thomasville but stopped at the Walmart to purchase food.
According to a redacted probable cause affidavit released by TPD, Crump told the victim he smelled marijuana in her car, and offered to make a deal with her. Crump’s cruiser followed the woman’s vehicle to Dorothy B. Oven Park where, according to the affidavit he had sex with her, before leaving. The victim told investigators she worried she’d get into trouble if she didn’t comply with his demands. A call was made to the consolidated dispatch agency following the encounter and TPD Chief Mike DeLeo announced Crump was fired the next morning.
“Officer Crump has betrayed the values of our agency and the public’s trust," DeLeo told reporters in a Sunday morning press conference.
He was still in his probationary period with TPD after transferring from the Gadsden County Sheriffs Department in January.
In a statement announcing Crump’s arrest DeLeo called Crump’s actions an abuse of power, apologized to the victim and praised her for coming forward.
"I want to apologize to the victim for the actions of Mr. Crump. I am proud of her courageous decision to come forward, so Mr. Crump can be held accountable, and we can ensure that he does not have the opportunity to prey on our community,” he said.
