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News

Michael Pena, Cop Accused Of Raping Teacher, Says DA Is Trying To Make Example Of Him

August 22, 2011 9:01 PM
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NYPD Officer Michael Pena (credit: CBS 2)

NYPD Officer Michael Pena (credit: CBS 2)

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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Michael Pena, the 27-year-old police officer accused of raping a 25-year-old teacher in Inwood last week, is speaking out from behind bars.

In a jailhouse interview from Rikers Island, Pena told the Daily News he knows why he is being targeted by the Manhattan District Attorney.

Pointing to the recent acquittal of two other officers accused of rape Pena said, “The DA is arresting cops, indicting cops…they’re trying to make an example out of me.”

Though he would not directly address the charges against him he said “there’s a lot I want to say about this” and that the “truth will eventually come out.” He added that “there are shades of gray.”

Police said the alleged rape happened Friday morning behind an apartment building in Inwood. Pena, drunk and in plain clothes, asked a woman for directions, police say.

He allegedly put his arm around her saying “You’re coming with me” while letting the victim see the service revolver in his belt. Police found Pena’s gun at the scene. A neighbor who was watching called 9-1-1.

“She just heard noises and…it looked like somebody was being attacked, so she called the cops,” the neighbor’s roommate told CBS 2′s John Slattery.

Pena has worked at the 33rd Precinct since 2008 and his family says he is engaged to be married. He is being held on $1 million bond. The officer has also been suspended and due back in court on August 24.

“He was very proud, very proud to be a police officer. And he was, this is just a surprise for us. This is a very difficult time for the family,” Pena’s aunt, Ramona, told CBS 2.

In May, officers Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata were acquitted of raping a drunken woman in her East Village apartment in 2008.

The two will serve jail time after being convicted of official misconduct for repeatedly returning to the accuser’s apartment while telling dispatchers they were elsewhere.

What do you think? Sound off below…

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  • Sarah

    This is not a race issue at all. If this person was caucasian what would you all be taking about then? How about the fact that a young women will never be the same. She was violated in ways most cannot ever recover from, by a police officer. And for him to say they are throwing the book at him, well he also was the one that thought and hoped he could get away with it because those officers did. And I think the evidence and witnesses on the other case were not as strong as this one. Pena, I feel so sorry for you family, for the victim. Rot in your cell

  • Jimmy

    This has not a thing to do with race or background of any sort. If this guy forced himself on a woman and there are witnesses (including other cops!!!) then jail is to good for him. I am not fan harsh justice but maybe the problem with this country is that justice is not harsh enough. He is a disgrace to his uniform and himself. I hope if it is all true that he goes away for a long long time.

  • John

    He should just retire. He’s what, 28? That’s retirement age for NYC cops isn’t it?

  • jamalam

    THAT RIGHT! When it comes to Sharpton, every black man in he world believes he is
    the greatest thing that ever happened to blacks since………… huh…………..
    .. wait…………. ok, well……………….
    he’s just great!

  • William

    It’s probably time for the NYPD to step up in regards to the psychological part of the tesing procedure to see if a person will make a good officer. Certainly there are PHDs out there that could sense whether a person can have this aggressive behavior inside of them or not…. It’s obvious that something has to be done, period!!

  • Guido…..

    e testa di merda!!!

  • mj

    its funny hw cops never respond well when they are held up to the same standards that the rest of us must function under in our daily exsistence .

  • JOSH SUCKS

    GAVONE, SKIFOZO, GRAN’ DISGRAZIATO , STUNAD !!!!

    • Guido…..

      e teste di merda!!!

  • Johnny Handsome

    If you did this then yes, an example should be made of you.

  • Johnny Handsome

    Why does race mean so much to you mutants? Are you really that scared? I know that in a few years there will be no more mutants around – you birth death cycle isn’t looking good at all. With all the mixed breed children, you mutants will be going the way of the doo-doo.

    • Peter

      Johnny Handsome is also Johnny Not so Smart.DooDoo is still here,watch where you are walking. I assume you were thinking of Dodo.Oh well at least you have your looks.

  • MARGIE

    Exactly…sexual deviates who should never be allowed to become law enforcemnt officers

  • Mr. Roboto

    He is being framed.

    • Mark

      Al Sharpton should be involved in no time!

      • jamalam

        THAT RIGHT! When it comes to Sharpton, every black man in he world believes he is
        the greatest thing that ever happened to blacks since………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….huh……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..wait……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….ok, well……………….he’s great!

  • Gary ODonnell

    I don’t understand how the DA is throwing him under the bus. This is a cop who used his badge and gun to stop and violently rape a woman. There are witnesses in addition to the cops driving up and seeing him with his pants down around his ankles. I guess none of this happened. He is innocent. Give me a break. I hope he is convicted and gets a LONG sentence. This guy used his badge and gun to hurt the citizens he is supposed to protect. I hope he gets what he deserves.

  • Nick

    Of course he’s being singled out. Other cops don’t get into trouble raping and pillaging. He’s just a scapegoat.

  • John

    AS a retired Police Officer of the NYPD I pray he gets rail roaded right to Sing Sing. Let him tell his story there where he will have sympathetic ears in which to confide in.

  • Wilson

    He will become a firefighters that’s were all the loser cops go

  • Peter

    His family says he is engaged to be married then it could not be him!!!

    • IT WASNT ME

      @ Peter, He’s engaged to be married IT WAS NOT HIM. IT WAS NOT ANOTHONY WEINER…IT WAS NOT THE PAKISTANI GUY WHO SET UP HIS WIFE..IT WAS NOT OJ…IT WAS NOT CLINTON….IT WAS NOT….THE SICKO IN THE BKLYN SAVAGE KILLING OF THE LITTLE BOY….IT WILL NOT BE ME WHEN I SAVAGELY KILL THE SPERM DONOR OF MY CHILD AND HIS MOTHER….IT WILL NOT BE ME WHO ROBS THE BANK FOR ESCAPE MONEY…..WE’VE ALL BEEN SET UP….NO ITS OUR CLONES..NO ITS ALIENS…please don’t throw US IN JAIL WE’RE ENGAGED !!!!

      • Dr. Phil

        Time to take your medicine!!

  • Meagan

    It just amazes me how men & women claim to not know what you’re doing when you are under the influence of alcohol/DRUNK. How in the world does a woman not know she is being penetrated by an unknown person ? What was Pena under the influence of that he does not recall throwing a strange woman on the ground and sexually assaulting her ? Wow, the Police exam must really be easy or perhaps crime has skyrocketed to the point they are just hiring anybody. It appears as though crimes are being committed more by police then citizens.

    • Johnny Handsome

      Meagan: I take it you’ve never been drunk and blacked out. It happens. Blacked out does not mean “sleep”. When you black out, you still function but you can’t remember anything you did. Its like having another person take over your body. No, its not an excuse.

      • Meagan

        @ johnny, No I’ve never been so inebriated to the point of non-rememberance. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my share of apple martinis and most recently ciroc w/ pineapple juice. I’m not perfect but I know my limit. The last time I drank a bit too much I asked my husband if his side of the room was spinning. It can be quite uncomfortable so, there is a limit. A great deal of people use alcohol to justify their behavior or dirty deeds, Penas’ family speaks well of him and he could very well be a good guy. Admit to your mistakes be humble and possibly he will be forgiving. Right now he has been added to the black list of police officers and must face the justice system. Hopefully they’ll do their job in this case.

    • okmaman

      “It appears as though crimes are being committed more by police then citizens.” This comment couldn’t be more cliche. You really think that?!

  • Don

    Some of his bosses must have seen the writing on the wall. What is NYPD hiring? He’s an embarassment to all good cops. Put standards back in the hiring process.

    • Johnny Handsome

      So his bosses can see the future!

    • Mike

      @don when you can’t earn a liveable wage in the Nypd, standards are hard to enforce.

  • stumbles

    ITS a SHAME THAT DECENT PEOPLE LIKE ME THAT WANT TO BECOME OFFICERS AND ACTUALLY DO THE RIGHT THING FOR NYC and THE NYPD they give us a hard time and just treat us like garbage when you go speak your assign investigator…I was one that my dream was to become an NYPD officer and it was destroyed last year after i did all i had to do to join the acadamy and was cursed out by my assign investigator, but yet the nypd choose the bad ones to go out to the street and rape women and make poor decisions in the street WHAT A SHAME !! it makes me not be proud to be a new yorker

    • McSmug

      Your next dream should incorporate English lessons.

      • MARGIE

        Not nice. That is not the point here.

      • okmaman

        Point well made

      • I be like McSmug…..

        Let us all remember that English is STILL the primary language in the United States. The problem these days is that today’s immigrant doesn’t care whether he or she learns PROPER language skills and basic sentence structure. Immigrants of the past did their BEST to learn English, work on proper pronunciation and were very determined to hide their accents. The same applies for those that speak in Ebonics. McSmug has a valid point, nice or not!!

      • D

        Funny how you’re critical of someone speaking English when 100% of Americans speak unproper English. Go to “England” where they speak real “English “and see what they tell you.

      • I be like McSmug…..

        Actually D it’s only 99.9% of us, because you may say UNPROPER, but I’ll stick with IMPROPER…. My Masters in English gives me the right to be critical of other people’s English….. right here in the USA, not all the way in England. Understand?!!? You reasoning is weak and a typical uneducated response to a valid statement….

    • John

      Try again dont’t let one loser stop you.

    • IgnoranteElephante

      Stumbles, I mean Mumbles, I have to agree with McSmug. Perhaps, your investigator caught wind of your lack of English, and cursed you out.

      I would have done the same if you were one of my recruits. Speaking and writing English are up there as two of the most important traits a police officer could have and, from the looks of it, you do not possess the latter and probably not the former either.

      Dreams alone don’t get you to your goals. You have to work towards them.

    • Johnny Handsome

      What makes you decent? Someone at the Academy thinks you are a waste. Maybe you should live your other dream – High School English Teacher!

      • ham07

        Johnny Handsome you should live your dream and be a decent person. Seems like you are one of those people that like to dress down others to make yourself feel good, and then you mentally masterbate with Ignorante Elephante and make each other feel good since you both like to make others feel bad.

        glad to be your NY neighboor you make this city shine

  • Tommy

    I am sure he already has Tacopina’s business card and Pena is speaking with Kenneth Moreno regularly for tips.

  • ProFromDover

    He made a fine example of himself! Doesn’t need help from the DA.

  • DIIVERSITY = DEATH

    It is a sub-uhumanoid.
    There are special lower testing standards for sub-humanoids to get jobs in
    goverrnment and public service. And a god dammned sub-humanoid hiring quota to be filled !!!
    johndenugent.com
    wvwnews.net (western voices world news)
    stormfront.org
    ramzpaul.com

    • 575

      lol, thats a rather large poly phonetic word coming from a troglodyte

    • Johnny Handsome

      The Head Mutant has spoken!

  • rapists suck

    I hope this pig dies.

    • okmaman

      Rapists do suck, and I hope you die too.

  • Minority hiring hurts the city!

    Wow, and I thought this rapist was being made an example of because he is a Police Officer who raped a woman at gunpoint. What a sick piece of garbage this city resident is. Lets give city residents another leg up on Civil Service tests and hire more degenerates.

    • Johnny Handsome

      So 3 out of how many Hispanic cops have gone rouge? You racist sicken me. Why I even respond to such inferior mutants is beyond me.

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