An investigation into an accusation of rape leveled against a retired Opelousas Police Department officer has been handed over to the Louisiana State Police, said Capt. Martin McClendon of the Opelousas Police Department.
The complaint was filed Friday afternoon with the Opelousas Police Department.
"The victim said she was raped by this individual," McClendon said. "I do not know the specifics of this particular case, but I do know that an interview was conducted with the victim and the person accused of it. What Chief (Perry) Gallow did Friday evening was, he asked the St.Landry Parish Sheriff's Office to assist in this investigation."
Capt. Buford Knight of the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office said that while his department assisted, the case still belonged to OPD.
"The St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office cannot provide information on an Opelousas Police Department case," Knight said.
Gallow subsequently asked the Louisiana State Police to take over the investigation.
"They're going to come in and conduct this investigation because obviously, it's a very sensitive issue we're dealing with - because it's a retired police officer, to make sure the investigation is independently done without any bias," McClendon said.
The name of the accused former officer has not been released.
"Right now, it's only an accusation," McClendon said. "We don't want to release the name of the person being accused unless the investigation has enough evidence to support an arrest."
The names of persons accused of crimes are not routinely released unless police know an arrest is immanent, McClendon said.
At this point, McClendon said, some evidence has been gathered, but he is not certain as to the nature of the evidence or whether DNA was found.
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