The Delaware State Police arrested a seven-year veteran patrol trooper for Sexual Extortion, Receiving a Bribe and Official Misconduct after an investigation revealed he engaged in a sex act with a 39-year-old New Castle woman.
This arrest culminates an investigation by DSP of alleged misconduct brought to the attention of the State Police by a woman arrested by Cpl. Joshua A. Giddings, 32, who was assigned to Troop 9 in Odessa.
The woman alleged that she and Giddings engaged in a sexual act while he was acting in his official capacity as a trooper. Information was provided and the investigation later substantiated that on Thursday, March 19 at approximately 8:06 pm, Giddings was working in a patrol capacity when he was dispatched to JC Penney's at the Christiana Mall for a report of a female shoplifter in custody. The investigation determined that Giddings arrested the woman for a single count of Shoplifting and for capias charges from a local court related to traffic offenses. Following the arrest, the woman and Giddings agreed that if the woman performed a sexual favor that Giddings would not take her forthwith to court to face the shoplifting charges and capiases. Instead, he issued her a criminal summons to appear at a later date in court.
With the woman under arrest and detained in the police vehicle, Giddings drove to a nearby, secluded area and engaged in a sexual act with her. He then drove her home.
Once DSP was notified of this allegation, an investigation was immediately launched and Giddings was suspended with pay and benefits. During the investigation, detectives secured a clothing item belonging to the victim. Consequently, detectives later obtained a search warrant to obtain DNA from Giddings.
The physical evidence obtained by detectives from the victim’s clothing and the DNA sample obtained from Giddings were sent to the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) for comparison. The two samples matched the DNA profile of Mr. Giddings and supported the allegation.
Arrest warrants were obtained and today, Giddings was informed of the arrest warrant and voluntarily turned himself in to investigators at Troop 2 in Glasgow. He was formally charged and upon arraignment, was issued an $8,000.00 unsecured bond.
Because of the arrest, Colonel Thomas F. Mac Leish has placed Giddings on suspension without pay and benefits with the intent to dismiss him from the division.
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http://www.wmdt.com/topstory/displaystory.asp?id=12981
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