NYC officer pleads not guilty to raping ex-lover

NEW YORK (AP) -- A police officer pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges he pulled a gun on his ex-girlfriend in a parking lot before sexually assaulting her while off-duty -- allegations echoing those last year that put another officer behind bars.

Arthur Roldan entered the plea during his arraignment on charges of first-degree rape, second-degree menacing and third-degree assault, prosecutors said. He was expected to be released on $20,000 bail.

A judge issued an order of protection barring the New York Police Department officer from having any contact with the woman.

The 28-year-old Roldan "maintains his innocence," the officer's attorney, Matthew Santamauro, said outside court. He declined to comment further.

The NYPD said only that Roldan, a six-year veteran, had been arrested and suspended from the force late Wednesday and that he knew his accuser.

Prosecutors identified the woman as Roldan's ex-girlfriend. But a criminal complaint filed Thursday didn't address a motive.

According to the complaint, the rape occurred late Sunday in a parking lot on Staten Island. The woman told investigators that Roldan pointed a pistol at her before raping her, the complaint said.

The woman also said that the officer wielded a knife and punched her in the face, the complaint said.

Last month, former NYPD Officer Michael Pena was sentenced to at least 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges he grabbed a schoolteacher off the street and raped her last August.

Pena has appealed a related, minimum 75-year sentence for a jury conviction for predatory sexual assault, a top-level felony that involves wielding a weapon during certain sex crimes. The woman had testified at trial that the officer threatened to shoot her if she resisted.