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PROVO, Utah (AP) -- An Orem police detective, who resigned while being investigated, has been charged with forcible sexual abuse.
Barry Nielsen, 39 of Lindon, who had been a sergeant and was an Orem officer for 17 years, was charged Tuesday with two counts of second-degree felony forcible sex abuse and a single misdemeanor count of lewdness.
Nielsen is accused of sexually abusing a convenience store clerk, who was in her early 20s, on Nov. 10, The Daily Herald said. He allegedly had met her during his patrol breaks at the store.
Lt. Doug Edwards, spokesman for the city Department of Public Safety, said Nielsen resigned Dec. 7 during an internal investigation.
Nielsen was one of two officers who lost their guns to a struggling suspect while investigating a domestic violence report on April 17. The other officer, Lt. Phil Murphy, was wounded. The suspect, David Burns, was sentenced last month to two terms of five years to life for attempted aggravated homicide and disarming a police officer, and a term of zero to five years for aggravated assault by a prisoner.
Nielsen will make his first court appearance in the sexual abuse case Jan. 27.
Deputy County Attorney Donna Kelly said Nielsen was served a summons rather than an arrest warrant because he was neither a flight risk nor in close contact with the alleged victim.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
