Officer Adam Northcutt Being Investigated for Sexual Assault

MISHAWAKA

A police officer is on administrative leave after allegations of sexual assault at a local bar.

Adam Northcutt, a patrol officer with the Mishawaka police department, is on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by the St. Joseph County Family Violence and Special Victims Unit, a division of the county prosecutor’s office.

According to Mishawaka Asst. Chief Mike Samp, a woman reported to police that she was “groped” and harassed by the off-duty officer at Bleacher’s Bar, 4609 Grape Road, on Dec. 13.

Northcutt has not been arrested or charged with any crime.

Samp said Mishawaka police contacted the county’s special victims unit to investigate, both because of the nature of the allegations and because a Mishawaka officer was involved.

Catherine Wilson, spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office, said the case is still under investigation and has not been presented to the prosecutor for possible charges.

Although police released few details about the allegation, the woman involved told The Tribune that Northcutt was intoxicated and wouldn’t leave her alone that night.

The 21-year-old woman, who is not being identified because of the nature of the crime, said Northcutt followed her around the bar, touching her inappropriately.

At one point, she said, Northcutt attempted to push her into the bar’s bathroom. “He kept saying, ‘I’m a Mishawaka police officer, I’ve done two tours in Iraq,’ and he just wouldn’t leave me alone.”

The woman also said Northcutt wasn’t alone at the bar, but was with two other off-duty police officers who are regulars at the bar.

The woman said she told one of the other officers that he needed to persuade Northcutt to leave the bar, but she also said they probably weren’t aware that Northcutt was harassing her.

“I don’t think they were paying that close of attention to him,” the woman said.

Samp said Wednesday that he could not comment on the allegations that other officers were present, but he said no other Mishawaka officers have been placed on administrative leave.

Despite Northcutt’s alleged advances, the woman said she was reluctant to report the incident to police until patrons and employees at the bar urged her to do so.

“It was just shocking and upsetting,” the woman said. “The whole thing was just weird.”

Samp said the decision to place Northcutt on administrative leave was made internally at the police station and not by the Mishawaka Board of Public Works and Safety. He said it is likely Northcutt will remain on administrative leave until a decision has been reached by the prosecutor’s office.

According to minutes of the Mishawaka Board of Public Works and Safety, Northcutt was made a probationary patrol officer in October 2007 and was promoted to full patrol officer in October 2008.