Ex-US policeman jailed 40 years for ∆ssaulting 14-year-old girl
Ex-US policeman jailed 40 years for assaulting 14-year-old girl
A former police officer in the United States, Sinmi Asomuyide, has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl while on duty in Indiana.
Asomuyide, 33, a former officer of the Kokomo Police Department, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release after completing his prison term.
The United States Department of Justice disclosed this in a statement published on its website on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
The former officer was convicted in June 2026, following a five-day jury trial, of deprivation of rights under colour of law, witness tampering and destruction of records.
The statement read: “Former Kokomo Police Department officer Sinmi Asomuyide, 33, has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In June 2026, Asomuyide was convicted following a five-day jury trial of Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law, Witness Tampering, and Destruction of Records.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at the trial, Asomuyide encountered the victim on June 30, 2024, while responding to a 911 call from her father, who had reported her as a runaway.
The statement said: “According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Asomuyide, then 31 years old, first encountered Minor #1, a 14-year-old girl, on June 30, 2024, while serving as a Kokomo Police Department (KPD) patrol officer. Earlier that day, Minor #1’s father called 911 to report her as a runaway.
“Asomuyide and another KPD officer responded to the call and located Minor #1 at the home of another underage girl. After taking Minor #1 into custody, Asomuyide transported her to the Kinsey Youth Center. As he entered the facility’s sallyport garage, he turned off his body-worn camera in violation of KPD policy. He then took Minor #1’s mobile phone and used it to call his personal TextNow phone number before questioning her about her sexual history.
“During a pat-down search, Asomuyide discovered a vape pen in Minor #1’s back pocket. After entering the Youth Center, he escorted Minor #1 to a side room and told her he would contact her later to return the vape pen.”
The teenager was subsequently picked up from the youth centre by a family friend, at the direction of her father.
According to the statement, she sent Asomuyide the username of one of her social media accounts before leaving, while he requested her TikTok username.
It added: “The two continued communicating by text message throughout the evening while Asomuyide completed the remainder of his shift, and Minor #1 remained under the impression that Asomuyide intended to return her vape pen.”
However, prosecutors said the former officer later left the police station after requesting overtime, claiming he would be completing paperwork between 10pm and midnight.
Instead, he allegedly went to the apartment where the teenager was staying with the family friend.
The statement said: “Later that evening, Asomuyide took several steps to see Minor #1 while simultaneously covering his tracks. He returned to the KPD police station and requested overtime, stating that he would be finishing his paperwork from 10pm to 12am, but instead left the station to pick up Minor #1.
“He arrived at the family friend’s apartment in his KPD uniform and demanded to speak to Minor #1 privately to determine where she should stay. Instead, Asomuyide handcuffed Minor #1 in the back of his patrol car and drove to an empty warehouse car park, as shown by his patrol car’s GPS data.
“He uncuffed the girl, moved her to the front seat and sexually assaulted her. After, Asomuyide put the handcuffs back on and drove the minor back to the apartment complex.”
The victim subsequently reported the assault to family members and law enforcement authorities, prompting an investigation by the Indiana State Police.
During a forensic examination of Asomuyide’s patrol vehicle, investigators discovered a dried semen stain on the centre console that matched his DNA.
The Justice Department further disclosed that the former officer attempted to mislead investigators during an interview about a week after the incident.
The statement said: “Approximately one week after the assault, ISP detectives interviewed Asomuyide. During the interview, he falsely claimed that he never provided Minor #1 with his phone number, suggesting instead that she may have overheard him reciting it to a Kinsey Youth Center employee.
“He also falsely asserted that Minor #1 had contacted him on a work phone, even though KPD officers are not issued work phones.
“A forensic examination of Asomuyide’s mobile phone revealed that, within hours of the assault, he searched phrases including ‘how to delete TextMe account’ and ‘TextNow delete account.’”
Previous allegation in Virginia
The Justice Department also disclosed that the Indiana conviction was not the first time Asomuyide had faced an allegation of sexual misconduct involving a minor.
Before joining the Kokomo Police Department, he worked as a police officer with the Portsmouth Police Department in Virginia, where he was forced to resign following an allegation that he had sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl while off duty.
When he subsequently applied to join the Kokomo Police Department, he allegedly misrepresented the circumstances surrounding his departure from the Virginia police force.
The statement said: “This is not Asomuyide’s first instance of sexual misconduct with a minor. He was previously employed as a police officer at the Portsmouth (Virginia) Police Department (PPD) and was forced to resign after an allegation that he had sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old while he was off duty.
“When he later applied to the Kokomo Police Department, he misrepresented what he did, stating that he was forced to resign from PPD because he was ‘hanging out’ with a 17-year-old girl who told him that she was 19.”
Earlier reports by American media in July 2024 disclosed that Asomuyide had been dismissed from the Kokomo Police Department following an internal investigation into his conduct.
The Indiana State Police subsequently investigated the allegations, while the US Department of Justice announced in July 2025 that a federal grand jury had indicted him over the assault and attempts to mislead investigators.
He was convicted in June 2026 before receiving the 40-year prison sentence in November.
Reacting to the sentence, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said the Justice Department took civil rights abuses seriously, including those committed by police officers who betrayed public trust.
She said: “The Department of Justice takes civil rights abuses seriously, including those committed by the small minority of police officers that betray public trust.
“This defendant will be held accountable for the kidnapping and sexual abuse of a child. We hope the victim will be able to recover and prosper despite this horrific episode.”
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Tom Wheeler, described the incident as an abuse of the authority entrusted to police officers.
Wheeler said: “This defendant exploited the badge in one of the worst ways imaginable.
“What makes these crimes particularly disturbing is that he used the very tools, training, and authority entrusted to him as a police officer not only to assault a vulnerable child, but to try to conceal it. The evidence told a different story, and today’s sentence sends a clear message that no one can use the authority of the badge as a shield from accountability.”
The FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge, Timothy J. O’Malley, also condemned the incident, saying police officers entrusted with protecting children must not become their abusers.
He said: “The very people entrusted with protecting children must never become the ones who victimise them. This defendant preyed on a 14-year-old girl and then attempted to cover up his crimes.
“That kind of calculated abuse is unconscionable. The FBI remains committed to protecting children and relentlessly pursuing those who prey on them.”
The Indiana State Police Chief Public Information Officer, Captain Ron Galaviz, said the agency remained committed to investigating crimes against children, particularly those involving individuals in positions of authority.
He said: “The Indiana State Police aggressively investigates crimes committed against children, especially when perpetrated by individuals placed in positions of immense trust.
“It is unconscionable that someone in authority would abuse their power for personal gratification at the expense of an innocent child. We remain steadfast in our commitment to holding these abusers accountable and protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities.”
