From Deseret News archives:
West Jordan officer facing sexual-assault charges
Nelson Poni-Eletise Tuatagaloa, 34, is being held in the Davis County Jail. He was booked Wednesday and charged late Friday with two counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.
Prosecutors from the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office say the assault occurred Monday while Tuatagaloa was on duty and in uniform. The officer responded to a call involving a suicidal woman "who was sitting in a parked car in a public place," according to charges filed in 3rd District Court. Tuatagaloa has been on the force for about a year according to West Jordan Police Sgt. Greg Butler.
Tuatagaloa and other officers responded to the scene and he handcuffed the woman and put her in his patrol car. He then decided to take her to Jordan Valley Hospital, 3580 W. 9000 South, for a medical evaluation because she was suicidal and had been drinking, the charges state.
The West Jordan Police Department is doing an internal investigation and the district attorney's office is conducting a criminal investigation into the alleged misconduct. Tuatagaloa he has been put on administrative leave without pay, Butler said.
Tuatagaloa is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond. If convicted, forcible sexual abuse carries a possible sentence of one to 15 years in prison.
E-mail: preavy@desnews.com
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