An on-duty Baltimore police officer allegedly raped a woman at her apartment after giving her and her son a ride home, authorities said.
Officer Daniel Oxendine was arrested on Thursday, August 27, following the results of a DNA analysis, which was said to have linked him to the alleged assault, according to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.
He’s charged with two counts of first-degree rape, two counts of second-degree rape, and two counts of a law enforcement officer engaging in a sexual act with a victim or witness of an investigation, the sheriff’s office said in a news release shared the day of his arrest.
The rape investigation began on June 3 as detectives met with an Edgewood woman in the emergency department of a local hospital, where she reported she had been sexually assaulted, according to authorities.
Investigators learned that before the assault, the woman had encountered Oxendine while he was on-duty in Baltimore, the sheriff’s office said.
On June 2, officers had been responding to a “domestic altercation” involving the woman, who was described as the victim of the incident, according to charging documents obtained by the Baltimore Sun.
After the woman told police that she and her son were in need of a ride to their home in Edgewood, Oxendine’s supervisor allowed him to transport them, the charging documents viewed by the newspaper said.
“After arriving at the victim’s residence, Oxendine entered her apartment and sexually assaulted her,” the sheriff’s office said.
Oxendine allegedly appeared outside her door soon after she and her son had already gone inside their apartment, according to charging documents, the Baltimore Sun reported.
He told the woman he needed to “make sure it was safe,” then went into her residence and instructed her to tell her son to step outside, the charging documents said.
Oxendine is then accused of raping her, a detective wrote in the charging documents, according to the newspaper.
The woman was taken to the hospital after the Harford County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to the assault, the sheriff’s office said.
There, a sexual assault kit exam was performed and DNA was collected for an analysis, according to the agency.
“When DNA test results returned conclusively identifying Daniel Oxendine as the offender, detectives obtained an arrest warrant,” the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators believe it’s possible Oxendine was involved in “similar offenses” and are “working diligently to identify any additional incidents,” according to the agency.
Baltimore Police spokesperson Lindsey Eldridge said Oxendine is currently suspended without pay, per the Baltimore Sun.
On Friday, August 28, Oxendine had his initial court appearance and was denied bond by a judge who considered him a danger to the community, WBFF reported.
An attorney representing him at the hearing chose not to provide a comment, according to the TV station.
