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Pair of detectives indicted for alleged rape of teenage girl in police custody

October 31, 2017 Meaghan McGoldrick

Shutterstock/Alex Schmidt

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Two New York City police detectives have been charged in a 50-count indictment for allegedly raping a teenager in a police van in southern Brooklyn last month after handcuffing her and placing her under arrest.

According to the investigation, on September 15 at around 7:30 p.m., the defendants – 37-year-old Detective Eddie Martins and 32-year-old Detective Richard Hall – were on-duty and riding in a Dodge Caravan, working as part of a team of plainclothes detectives assigned to Brooklyn South Narcotics and conducting a buy-and-bust sting operation in the confines of the 60^th Precinct, when they left their post without authorization and drove to Calvert Vaux Park in Gravesend.

Just after 8 p.m., the duo conducted a car stop of an Infiniti Coupe being driven by an 18-year-old woman with two male passengers. Upon discovery of marijuana in the front seat cup holder, the officers instructed the three occupants to step out of the car and asked if they had any drugs on them, at which time the young woman responded that she had marijuana and two Klonopin pills.

The detectives then allegedly handcuffed the woman, told her she was under arrest and would be getting a desk appearance ticket. They let her companions go and instructed them to come get her at the precinct in three hours, according to evidence.

It is alleged that, after leaving the park, the officers instructed the woman to call her friends and tell them not to follow the minivan, at which time Martins is said to have told her that he and his partner were “freaks” and asked her what she wanted to do to get out of the arrest.

It is further alleged that Martins forced the handcuffed teen to perform a sex act on him while seated in the back seat of the van as Hall drove and watched through the rear view mirror. Martins then allegedly raped the victim before the van made a stop in Bay Ridge, about four miles from the park and in the opposite direction of where their team was located, and switched places.

Martins then allegedly got behind the wheel while Hall got into the back seat of the van and forced the teen into sexual acts. They then allegedly drove back to the vicinity of the 60^th Precinct and had the victim call her friends to say she was being let go. The duo allegedly gave her back the Klonopin pills, told her to keep her mouth shut and released her.

The young girl was taken to Maimonides Medical Center later that evening, where a sexual assault evidence collection kit eventually recovered DNA from the victim that, according to the indictment, was a match to both of the defendants.

The pair are charged with first-degree rape, first-degree criminal sexual act, second-degree kidnapping and official misconduct, among other related counts. If convicted, they each face up to 25 years in prison.

“It is incomprehensible that two veteran NYPD detectives would allegedly commit such an outrageous act,” said Acting District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. “They took an oath to protect and serve, but allegedly violated that oath by raping a young woman who was in their custody. We will now seek to hold them accountable for this flagrant betrayal of public trust.”