New Orleans police have arrested one of their own officers on charges of sexually molesting an underage girl while investigating a sexual assault she reported.
Rodney Vicknair, 53, was booked with sexual battery, indecent behavior with a juvenile and malfeasance, police said Saturday.
Rodney Vicknair
Police said their investigation into the 13-year veteran began when the Public Integrity Bureau received information that Vicknair had “an inappropriate relationship with the victim” at the center of the case. An official source familiar with the matter said Vicknair met a 15-year-old girl while he looked into allegations that she had been sexually assaulted by another person.
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. He is also accused of fondling the girl's genitals and breasts, the source said.
The Public Integrity Bureau and child abuse investigations unit obtained a warrant for Vicknair on Friday. St. Tammany Parish sheriff's deputies arrested him at his home on the north shore.
Vicknair remained at the St. Tammany Parish jail late Saturday afternoon, awaiting transfer to New Orleans' lockup. He's been suspended from his job pending resolution of the criminal charges, police said.
The Police Department's website says Vicknair joined the force after spending 19 years as an emergency medical technician. He has worked in the 1st Police District, which patrols areas including Mid-City and Tremé, for his entire police career, and has also served as a field training officer who mentors recruits coming out of the academy.
Vicknair could face as much as 10 years in prison if convicted of sexual battery. Indecent behavior with a juvenile carries a maximum of seven years in prison, and malfeasance — or breaking the law in the line of public duty — has a maximum of five years.
"Allegations against one of our own involving a juvenile [are] reprehensible," Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said. "New Orleans police officers are held to a higher standard. We will not tolerate behavior that compromises the public trust or violates the law."
