Trial set for former Oklahoma officer accused of sexual abuse

Published 1:00 pm Wednesday, March 4, 2015

A former Oklahoma City police officer will head to trial Oct. 26 on allegations that he sexually abused nearly a dozen women while on duty.

Oklahoma County Judge Timothy Henderson on Tuesday set the trial date for Daniel Holtzclaw, 28, who is currently free on bond but under house arrest at his parent’s home in Enid. The trial is expected to last about two weeks.

Holtzclaw, who attended a scheduled court appearance Wednesday, sat quietly in a courtroom packed with several dozen defendants in unrelated cases. He spoke only to acknowledge that he was in court, as required, and quickly left the building afterward.

Holtzclaw faces 36 charges including felony rape, lewd exhibition, forcible oral sodomy and sexual battery stemming from incidents that occurred while he was on duty in 2013 and 2014, according to prosecutors. He is charged with sexually molesting 13 different women.

Women who testified during a preliminary hearing last year said Holtzclaw either forced them to expose themselves, touched them inappropriately or used his authority to force them to have sex.

The Oklahoma City Police Department fired Holtzclaw, who had been on paid leave since being charged last year, in January.

Holtzclaw has pleaded not guilty, and his supporters have maintained his innocence.