CRESTON, Iowa
Creston Mayor Warren Woods announced Tuesday that Police Chief James Christensen has been fired following an investigation.
Woods said the termination was official as of 5 p.m. Monday.
Chief Christensen, 40, and former Assistant Police Chief John Sickels, 38, are both charged with second-degree sexual assault in a case involving a female bartender working at the Crestmoor Golf Club.
Investigators said the assault happened on April 18.
The bartender told the investigator that Sickels raped her behind the bar while Christensen "held her hand, stroked her hair and 'shushed' her."
Court documents show the incident happened around 2 a.m. when Christensen, Sickles and the bartender were the only people left in the bar.
If convicted, both men face the possibility of up to 25 years in prison.
Woods said city officials hope to name an interim chief in the next few days.
"I want everyone to know that I am very proud of our police force and the way that they have reacted to the difficult circumstances. My public thanks goes to each and every one of them," Woods said in a statement released Tuesday.
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