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By Michelle Richardson
Special to the AFRO
A Baltimore County police officer was recently charged with sexually assaulting at least three women according to court documents.
Officer Anthony Michael Westerman, 25, is described as allegedly “taking advantage of social situations,” and was arrested and charged with multiple counts of felony rape and misdemeanor assault.
According to charging documents, Westerman’s tactics allegedly included lying about getting an intoxicated woman back to her friends home safely and taking a woman away from a crowd to a secluded area.
“The allegations made in this case are reprehensible and are not representative of the values and ethics of the Baltimore County Police Department,” Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt said in a statement issued recently.
“As a result of a thorough investigation by the Baltimore County Police Department Criminal Investigations Bureau, the officer has been arrested and has been suspended without pay.”
Westerm joined the Baltimore County Police Department in 2013. Court documents did not list an attorney for him as of AFRO press time.
Detectives began investigating Westerman in October of 2017, after being notified of at least three women who were allegedly assaulted.
On Oct. 4, 2017, Westerman was buying shots for a crowd at a bar in White Marsh, according to charging documents. A woman, 22, who came forward said she was so drunk that she left the bar and passed out in her car. She insisted, the documents state, she wanted to stay there until she was sober enough to drive. She said she remembered a knock at the window and Westerman and her female friend were standing outside. Westerman said he would arrange an Uber to take the two women back to the second woman’s home.
But, instead Westerman hailed a ride back to his home where he allegedly raped one of the women, according to online court records. The 22-year-old woman told her friend about the incident and the two immediately left, said police.
On June 8 of this year, police said a 20-year-old woman, who considered Westerman to be like a brother, was drinking at his home in Essex. The woman told police Westerman woke her up while she was sleeping in his guest bedroom and then allegedly forced her to have sex with him. The woman did not immediately report the incident allegedly out of fear of retaliation because Westerman is a police officer.
In a third case, another 22-year-old woman was allegedly at a birthday party in Middle River with Westerman. Police said when the two were alone, Westerman took the woman to a secluded area where she thought he was going to share his plans to propose to his girlfriend. Instead, Westerman grabbed the woman and forcibly tried to kiss her.
Documents stated this happened twice before the woman left with a relative whom she allegedly told about the incident.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan.3. Westerman is being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center and was denied bail earlier this week.
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