A Prince George's County police lieutenant is accused of sexually assaulting a fellow officer while he was off duty.
Lt. Richard Tallant was indicted on a second-degree sex offense charge, county prosecutor Aisha Braveboy said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon.
“This case, we worked with the internal affairs division of the police department,” Braveboy said. “They conducted an investigation, turned it over to us. We then conducted our own investigation — both my public integrity unit and my special victims and family violence unit — conducted a separate and independent investigation and determined that charges were appropriate.”
Tallant is accused of assaulting the woman while off duty in February 2017. He was attending a social event at the time at Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 89 in Upper Marlboro, police said. He allegedly followed a female officer out of the lodge and sexually assaulted her on the grounds.
He will be brought to justice despite being an officer, Braveboy said.
"As State’s Attorney, it is my job to pursue truth and seek justice for all victims of crime," Braveboy's statement said. "My office will prosecute crimes of sexual assault no matter the professional status of the offender."
Additional information on the alleged crime was not released immediately.
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The county police department suspended Tallant's police powers in April, when they learned of the allegations, a statement from the department said. The veteran officer is suspended without pay. He is assigned to the narcotics division and has been with the department since 1997.
In January, a county officer was accused of sexually assaulting a woman outside a Metro station. In October 2018, a county officer was accused of raping a woman after pulling her over and learning she was an undocumented immigrant.
Stay with News4 for more details on this developing story.
