A Chicago Police Officer Found Not Guilty of Sexual Abuse Charges After Bench Trial

A Chicago police officer accused of sexually abusing a handcuffed detainee at the Near North police station was found not guilty of all criminal charges on Monday after a bench trial that centered on surveillance video, the woman’s statements, and the strength of the prosecution’s evidence.

Judge Adrienne Davis, who oversaw the trial, said she believed Officer Stephan Shaw’s conduct was at least “inappropriate,” adding that Chicago residents “deserve better.” But Davis concluded prosecutors did not meet their burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Shaw’s behavior in the Near North (18th) District’s processing area amounted to a crime.

Prosecutors charged Shaw in April 2024 with felony counts of sexual abuse, battery, and official misconduct. He was assigned to the Near North station at 1160 North Larrabee Street at the time of the May 22, 2023, incident.

According to the state’s allegations, Shaw was among the officers who brought a then-22-year-old woman to the station after she was detained for shoplifting in the downtown area. Following standard procedure, officers handcuffed her left wrist to a metal bar in the holding area while they completed paperwork. The woman sat alone on a metal stool while Shaw allegedly approached her cell doorway multiple times, asked sexually suggestive questions, and made comments about her buttocks.

Prosecutors said Shaw asked the woman if she would let him “hit it,” then asked whether he could touch her buttocks. The woman said he touched her inappropriately while pretending to adjust her handcuffs. Cameras in the processing area showed Shaw standing in the doorway for long stretches and entering the holding cell, where he moved out of the camera’s view.

Before the woman was released, Shaw used his phone to search for her Facebook profile. Officials said she later messaged him on the platform to ask for the police station’s address and her court date because she could not locate her paperwork. Shaw responded by asking if they were still going to get pizza, and she replied with a heart emoji.

After his arrest last year, the Chicago Police Department relieved Shaw of his police powers. He is currently assigned to a unit that handles non-emergency police reports over the phone. The results of an investigation launched by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability have not been announced.

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