Police officer charged with sexual abuse


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Prosecutors announced Friday that they've filed charges against a West Jordan police officer.

He is accused of sexual misconduct while on duty. Now he is in the Davis County Jail.

Prosecutors charged Nelson Tuatagaloa with two counts of forcible sexual abuse. They say he assaulted a woman in the parking lot of Jordan Valley Hospital.

The woman's friend did not want to do an on-camera interview, but says the woman is very emotional right now. He says the officer assaulted her for 30 minutes to an hour.

Police officer charged with sexual abuse

The woman's friend tells Eyewitness News the officer "had a gun. He had her in custody. He implied she could be arrested or go to jail for various charges."

The friend says he called police on Monday when the woman's children told him she had left her house distraught. He says when the woman found out police were looking for her, she also called police to say she was in a strip mall parking lot. He says three officers responded; one of them was Tuatagaloa.

Police officer charged with sexual abuse

The friend claims Tuatagaloa offered to take the woman to Jordan Valley Hospital for an evaluation, then he sexually assaulted her.

Prosecutors say he handcuffed the woman, then he began kissing and sexually assaulting her.

The friend says the assault continued for a while until dispatch called the officer's radio, wanting to know their location. The friend says that's when the officer "snapped out of it" and took the woman inside the hospital.

The woman told hospital workers what happened.

Tuatagaloa's sister-in-law, who did not want to go on camera, says she doesn't know why the woman is making these allegations. She says Tuatagaloa is a good man who loves his wife and four children.

Tuatagaloa's sister-in-law also says he's been with West Jordan Police Department for two years.

Before that, he worked for the Los Angeles Police Department.

The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office says there may be people in their jail whom Tuatagaloa has arrested, so he was taken to the Davis County Jail for his safety.

West Jordan police Chief Ken McGuire released this statement: "Our department was notified of Officer Nelson Tuatagaloa's alleged misconduct during a call for service. After reviewing the allegations, he has been put on administrative leave without pay pending an active internal investigation by our department and a criminal investigation by the District Attorney's Office. We are taking this situation very seriously and are fully cooperating with all parties involved."

If convicted, Tuatagaloa could face possible sentences of 1 to 15 years in prison.

E-mail: syi@ksl.com

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