Fayetteville Officer Arrested In Connection With Rape

Friday, December 20, 2013

FAYETTEVILLE — A police officer was arrested Friday and stands accused of rape.

James Stiles, 31, of 6870 W. Goose Creek Road was arrested in connection with rape, second-degree sexual assault and burglary. He was booked into the Washington County Detention Center at 9:51 p.m.

The rape was reported Nov. 10 and Stiles was placed on paid administrative leave Dec. 4 and relieved of his badge and gun pending the outcome of an internal investigation, according to a news release late Friday evening. On Monday he was fired from the department for policy violations uncovered after a criminal investigation by the department’s Criminal Investigation Division.

The investigation found Stiles and another officer arrested an intoxicated woman at 12:03 a.m. Oct. 26 on North Block Avenue. According to the release, the woman was put in the back seat of Stiles’ patrol car to be taken to the detention center. Stiles instead took the woman to her home rather than arrest her.

The woman reported waking nude in her bed about 4:30 a.m. with a police officer standing over her. She said the officer touched her breast. Investigators determined Stiles was in the area of the woman’s apartment at the time she reported the assault. The woman also picked out Stiles from a photo lineup, police said in a probable cause affidavit.

Stiles is also accused of sexually assaulting another woman in July, according to the release. A former police department employee reported being assaulting in her home by Stiles, who she said was on duty when the assault occurred.