Officer, APD face rape, battery charges
(AP) - The Albuquerque Police Department and a former officer who is accused of rape and battery while on duty face three civil lawsuits.
Christopher Chase, 29, has been indicted on 32 counts including criminal sexual penetration, criminal sexual contact, aggravated battery and kidnapping.
Three civil lawsuits have been filed against Chase or the Albuquerque Police Department.
One of the women who accused Chase of sexual assault contends in a lawsuit that the Albuquerque Police Department was negligent in hiring and keeping Chase. The suit compares Chase to "an unchained vicious animal" who preyed upon women.
In answers filed by the attorney defending two of the civil cases, Chase and Albuquerque police deny the claims.
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The criminal case involves allegations by 11 individuals of both sexes, some claiming they were beat up and others that they were sexually assaulted between September 2001 and January 2003.
