Former Harris County deputy accused of raping sleeping woman while on duty

A Harris County grand jury indicted Richard Cornejo, 37, on two felony counts of sexual assault Thursday, June 6, 2019. Cornejo is a former deputy for the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office. A Harris County grand jury indicted Richard Cornejo, 37, on two felony counts of sexual assault Thursday, June 6, 2019. Cornejo is a former deputy for the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office. Photo: Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office Photo: Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Former Harris County deputy accused of raping sleeping woman while on duty 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A former Harris County deputy constable was arrested for allegedly raping a woman he found sleeping in a car outside a nightclub while he was working, prosecutors said Thursday.

Richard Cornejo, who worked for Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office for a little over two years, was taken into custody Thursday after a grand jury indicted him for sexual assault and official oppression.

The now-37-year-old was on duty and in uniform when he found part of a marijuana cigarette in a woman's car outside the Palacios after-hours club. Afterwards, according to the Harris County District Attorney's Office, the deputy offered to follow her home where he allegedly assaulted her.

"He had a duty to protect the public," District Attorney Kim Ogg said. "He instead used his badge to commit the crime of rape."

Cornejo started working at Precinct 4 in June 2016, according to Constable Mark Herman. He was fired in November, four months after the alleged rape. It's not clear what led to his termination.

If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison for the sexual assault charge and one year behind bars for the official oppression.

The after-hours club where the alleged incident began has since been shut down due to multiple drug and liquor violations, prosecutors said.

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