A cop with a history of misconduct was never fired and eventually assigned to a case involving a child victim who he sexually assaulted.
New Orleans, LA — As frequent readers of the Free Thought Project know, police officers are arrested weekly in this country for sex crimes involving children. This is a massive problem but becomes even worse when victims of child sex abuse seek out help and run right into the arms of someone even worse than they are trying to report. For one girl in New Orleans, Louisiana, this is exactly what happened to her.
In 2020, the New Orleans Police department arrested one of its own officers for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old child. Rodney Vicknair, 55, was arrested and charged with sexual battery, indecent behavior with a juvenile, and malfeasance for sexually assaulting the child while investigating a sexual assault that she reported. After fighting the case for two years and pleading not guilty, last, Vicknair changed his tune.
Vicknair finally admitted to grooming and raping the girl while taking her to the hospital to have a rape kit done for a previous sexual assault she had just endured. On Tuesday, he was sentenced in federal court to 14 years in prison.
“We are grateful to this young survivor for coming forward, even though she thought no one would believe her,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Had she not been willing to do so, we would not have been able to hold the defendant accountable for his heinous crime. This case should send a strong message to law enforcement officers who sexually abuse victims, particularly children, that they are not above the law and will be held accountable.”
“The public must be able to trust that law enforcement will faithfully execute their sworn duties or face the consequences for failing to do so,” said U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “Our office, along with the Department of Justice, the FBI and state and local law enforcement agencies, will continue to investigate and prosecute any violations of constitutional rights.”
As we reported at the time, this officer had a history of discipline problems, and he should have never had his job when the child’s sexual assault took place.
According to a scathing report from WDSU, Vicknair was disciplined four times in just six years, raising the question of whether or not he should have remained employed by the NOPD. Below are the infractions:
- He received a five-day suspension in 2010 for acting unprofessionally and keeping inaccurate records. NOPD’s internal investigation found he used police resources to look up a woman’s personal information and then failed to record an unnecessary stop of the woman in his activity log.
- Vicknair received a one-day suspension and driver training in July 2015 for violating policies related to a vehicle pursuit on March 28, 2014. The internal investigation found he drove 76 mph on Claiborne Avenue at 7 p.m., before driving against traffic for more than three blocks. The investigation did not determine whether Vicknair disregarded a supervisor’s order to end the chase.
- He received a three-day suspension in August 2015 for violating policies related to another vehicle pursuit on Feb. 6, 2014. The internal investigation found he drove against traffic during a car chase that a supervisor determined should not have happened.
- Vicknair received a letter of reprimand in August 2016 for acting unprofessionally when responding to the scene of a fatal overdose. The deceased man’s mother complained that Vicknair laughed at the scene. NOPD’s review of body-camera footage showed he told the overdose victim’s girlfriend, “I didn’t put the needle in his arm” and “I bet if I checked your name you would have warrants.”
According to WDSU, each time NOPD punished Vicknair, the superintendent warned in a letter to him that a similar infraction in the future could result in “more severe disciplinary action.” But this never happened and his latest “punishment,” before he raped a 14-year-old girl, was a letter of reprimand.
Because the department lacked oversight, Vicknair was never demoted or had his job threatened which led to him sexually assaulting a child on duty.
In 2020, the victim contacted the NOPD to report a sexual assault and Vicknair was assigned to her case. Instead of helping the child, however, this monster allegedly began grooming her.
According to NOLA.com, Vicknair allegedly began sending text messages to the girl, going to her house during his personal time, and remarking how attractive she was and how she aroused him, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
After receiving an anonymous tip that Vicknair was sexually assaulting the child — who he was supposed to be helping — the NOPD Public Integrity Bureau conducted a preliminary investigation and found enough evidence to arrest him. Now, he’s finally being held accountable.
Article posted with permission from Matt Agorist
