New Haven Independent

Cop Denies Groping Students

by Melissa Bailey | June 13, 2008 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)

A city cop intends to plead not guilty to charges that he groped two women while on duty at a downtown club.

Officer Anthony Maio (pictured), a 12-year veteran of the New Haven police force, was arrested on June 4 in connection to an incident at BAR restaurant at 254 Crown St. a few months prior. He is accused of taking two college students to an employee bathroom, locking the door and fondling them, according to details in an arrest warrant made public this week.

The accused cop has been out on paid administrative leave since his arrest. He was charged with two counts each of fourth-degree sexual assault and unlawful restraint. Fourth-degree sexual assault is a misdemeanor offense that would land the officer on the state’s sex offender registry if convicted. He is due to make a first appearance in New Haven Superior Court on Wednesday before Judge Richard Damiani.

Maio intends to plead not guilty to the charges at that time, according to his lawyer, Tim Pothin.

“This is a police veteran with an exemplary record,” Pothin said Friday. “There has never been any hint of any impropriety on his part. He adamantly denies these essentially uncorroborated allegations.”

Meanwhile, an arrest warrant affidavit reveals more details on the night that has cast another shadow over the officer’s future with the department. Maio became the second police officer this year to face criminal charges resulting from an internal affairs investigation, following on the heels of an FBI investigation into wrongdoing in the department’s since-disbanded narcotics unit.

The 33-page affidavit is drawn from interviews with the two alleged victims, several BAR employees, and police officers. The affidavit was made public this week. (A copy was leaked earlier than that to the Register’s William Kaempffer, who reported this story about the case last weekend.)

The two alleged victims, 21-year-old roommates at a local University, paint a picture of a cop who used his power of authority to detain them in a closed room while he groped them.

The Women’s Side

Here’s what happened, according to the women’s statements:

The women headed out to BAR, arriving at about 11 p.m. on April 18. Maio was on an extra-duty patrol duty, stationed at the entrance of the bar. The women remained at the bar until closing time, at which point they started chatting with Maio, whom she described as a “friend” she had spoken with in the past.

Standing near the entrance of the door to the club, Maio put his arm around both women and kissed them on the lips. The women did not resist, though they were “taken aback.” He invited them upstairs. The women followed him, thinking they could get free drinks.

When they got upstairs, Maio allegedly led them into a bathroom, then locked them inside the room with him. He kissed one woman. She did not push away or say “no,” but made eye contact with her roommate and squeezed her friend’s hand — a signal that the two had established when seeking help escaping from “creepy guys.”

The officer slid his hand up the first woman’s skirt, touching her vagina outside her underwear without penetration, according to the woman. He put his hand on the second woman’s thigh and she pushed it away.

“We have to go,” the second woman allegedly told the cop. She put her hand on the door and pushed it open. The officer eased, but didn’t force, the door closed and locked it again. “Oh, come on,” he said, according to the second woman. He touched the second woman’s breasts outside her dress, according to her statement.

“We’re leaving, we need to go now,” the second woman said. The two left the club and reported the incident to two nearby police officers.

Asked if Maio had used his power of authority on them, both victims replied “yes.”

Witnesses’ View

When they recounted their story to officers, one of the women was sobbing and looking over her shoulder to see if Maio was coming, according to police.

“He’s a cop, he’s got a badge, he’s working, I can’t believe this,” she told police.

They said the assailant was in full police uniform, wearing a badge that read “Maio.” Given a photo lineup, both women picked Maio as the assailant.

The alleged incident occurred in an employee bathroom that is closed to the public. Apparently unbeknownst to the women, the room is known as a hook-up spot where employees have sex with patrons.

Two BAR employees said they saw Maio go upstairs with the women at around closing time, when the public bathrooms on the first floor were available.

Two employees said they saw the women flirting with Maio, touching his chest. Police who interviewed the women shortly after the incident said the women did not seem intoxicated.

Speaking through his attorney, Maio declined to volunteer a statement as part of the investigation, according to the affidavit.

His attorney, Pothin, mentioned to investigators a notebook that the officer had in his pocket that night. In it is scrawled a message: “Officer Maio, I (heart symbol) you.” The note is signed “Wonder Woman.”

The first woman said she had a conversation with Maio that night about her job dressing up as “Wonder Woman” at Six Flags. Her friend told police she witnessed her writing the note in Maio’s book that night.

Acting Police Chief Stefanie Redding said last week that no internal charges have been pressed against Maio, though such charges may be filed after the criminal case ends.

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Comments

Posted by: New_Haven_Resident | June 13, 2008 2:49 PM

All I have to say is, HE IS INNOCENT!

Posted by: New_Haven_Resident | June 13, 2008 2:57 PM

"The alleged incident occurred in an employee bathroom that is closed to the public. Apparently unbeknownst to the women, the room is known as a hook-up spot where employees have sex with patrons." How they know what they use this room for, oh yeah because they are probably well knowin in that room. I know Maio since I was 15 in sophomore year, I'm 31 now. I see him everyday in the Kensington Dwight neighborhood, trust me someone is behind all this.

Posted by: Sally Tamarkin | June 13, 2008 4:56 PM

How come people default to believing the officer rather than the accusers? I'm not saying he is or isn't guilty but how can you know or decide from this article? Am I missing something or am I just not as perceptive as other folks?

Posted by: Concerned | June 13, 2008 5:06 PM

People tend to default to the officers side because we have been brainwashed since childhood to believe Sworn Officers of the Law. It will be up to a court of law to determine whether he is guilty or innocent. However, he has been immortalized on websites that watch cops such as copwatch.net and badcopnews.com. These websites have used their first amendment right to create lists of bad cops since the government likes lists so much. Moreover they are an antithesis to the hero worship of cops. Anthony Maio could end up finding his address and a map posted on these types of websites if it can be found through public means.

Posted by: James | June 13, 2008 5:22 PM

Sally. New to the boards? People rarely default to believing the officer. Usually quite the opposite. After all, there's not a guilty man in all of Dwight/Kensignton. All the victims of profiling and police corruption, don't you know.

Sounds like the other poster has history with Maio and reason to believe in or at least hope for his innocence. I do have to admit that at the very least, these girls were not being particularly cautious. At best, they encouraged the behavior to a point. But yeah, if you have to lock the door to keep the ladies in, that's a pretty good sign that you might be a groper.

NHI, can you please, for the love of god, change that picture? With that grin on his face it looks like he's being groped himself.

Posted by: Edward_H | June 13, 2008 5:47 PM

James
NHI, can you please, for the love of god, change that picture? With that grin on his face it looks like he's being groped himself.

ROFL. I will never be able to look at that picture without laughing now!

Posted by: cedarhillresident | June 14, 2008 12:53 PM

We talked about the picture to, he looks so goofy!! But I do have to say that I am still on Maio side. This is a good cop. It is this kind of accusations that are making it imposable for the police to do there jobs! It is know different than doctors and malpractice law suits. of fender benders and whip lash claims! There are people that look at it as a way to make money and because of those people it make it not worth it to go into that profession.

Posted by: dragons | June 14, 2008 2:20 PM

He may be a good cop. He may even be innocent of the charges. But it is clear that he is guilty of using bad judgment. I would be impressed if anyone argues that what he did wasn't stupid for someone in his position at the club and in the community.

Forget all of the press and the sensationalism and the accusations, by acting like this, this officer did enough on his own to make it hard for the police to do their jobs.

Posted by: Westvillian | June 14, 2008 3:05 PM

I'm all for believing that anyone accused of a crime is "innocent until proven guilty." At the same time, I don't think it's fair to say that the womens story is uncorroborated, since 2 BAR employees witnessed these women going towards the employee restroom with the police officer. Certainly, it would be important to hear Maio's story about what "official business" he was conducting with them at that time.

Posted by: Edward_H | June 14, 2008 6:37 PM

Can't he be a good cop AND a lecherous old horndog at the same time? Sounds like he may have let the old saying "every woman loves a man in uniform" go to his head.

Posted by: Paul Garlinghouse | June 16, 2008 8:48 AM

How can it be okay for Officer Maio to be kissing or sexually touching these young women while on duty? He was in uniform, being paid to do his job.

Posted by: New_Haven_Resident | June 16, 2008 10:11 AM

James, I do not have any HISTORy with officer Anthony Maio. But I do believe that anyone that is accuse of any crime is innocent until proven guilty.

Just because the other guys were found guilty with narcotics, that doesn't mean HE IS.

Posted by: robn | June 16, 2008 1:29 PM

NFN, but it sounds very illogical that two young women, after being (suposedly) inappropriately kissed by somebody, would follow that somebody up the stairs, and follow that person into a small enclosed space (restroom), and allow the door to be closed unless there was a reason or a goal. After a night of drinking at bars would that reason be free beer as was described??? or something else???? and I'm not talking about sex.

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | June 16, 2008 1:41 PM

May be he should use R.Kelly lawyers.

Posted by: jo | June 16, 2008 9:14 PM

seems to me he is guilty of bad judgment. in uniform. but he didn't restrain them. he didn't kidnap them, and when it came to the proverbial yes or no, he honored no. they went and he gave up his advances. so far, i see misconduct, not crime. But this is connecticut, breathing is a crime.

Posted by: jo | June 16, 2008 9:17 PM

But Paul, how is that a crime? Unethical yes, unseemly, yes. sending the wrong message about police? yes. potentially compromising the independence of police as someone these women could turn to? yes. But a sex crime? just from what we know from this article, can you articulate the crime?

Posted by: Let get real | June 17, 2008 10:51 AM

The officer should of used better judgement. People who are leaving comments defending him because you personally know him - what does they prove? People put of facades everyday. There are pedafiles and murders out there that secretly live as up holding citizens until they get discovered. Now with all that said, I am not saying this man is guilty. However, he is guilty of being in uniform and handling himself the way he did. Now if he was off duty and in civilian clothes would these women have went to police? would it be as bad for him? prob not since they said he did not use any type of force. He was being a man atracted to women he occassionally flirts with but took it to far while on duty.

Posted by: bfair | June 17, 2008 12:04 PM

Jo, Are you serious? How is touching a woman's breast and vagina NOT a sex crime when the behavior is unwanted? What is alleged is a crime even if the culprit is a smiling, well respected police officer.

Cop Denies Groping Students

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