Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Two New York City Police Department detectives raped a teenage woman they apprehended for possessing marijuana, prosecutors said Monday.
Brooklyn detectives Edward Martins and Richard Hall were charged with rape, kidnapping and official misconduct. Both surrendered Monday and pleaded not guilty before being released on bail, The New York Times reported.
The incident occurred on Sept. 15 when Martin and Hall were working an anti-narcotics detail in south Brooklyn. Prosecutors said they pulled over a car with three people inside, including the 18-year-old victim, who admitted to having a small amount of marijuana and two Klonopin pills, reported DNA Info.
Martin and Hall placed the woman in handcuffs and took her into their unmarked NYPD van. They then allegedly told the woman they were "freaks" and that they wouldn't arrest her if she had sex with them. The men allegedly proceeded to rape the woman, who was still handcuffed, prosecutors said. Prosecutors say the officers returned the pills, told her "keep your mouth shut" and let her out of the van miles from where they apprehended her.
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Attorneys for Martin and Hall said the charges don't make sense because they include forcible rape, as well as a "quid pro quo" transaction.
"Pick one, you can't have both," said Mark Bederow, an attorney for Martin.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez dismissed the idea that there's a contradiction in the charges.
"It is shocking and unfortunate that they would blame a teenager for the acts of their clients," Gonzalez said. "To think that these are grown men in a position of power over an 18-year-old, and for them to blame her, is ridiculous and demeaning. To my mind it speaks to desperation."
