Therese Apel

The Clarion-Ledger

A Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper accused of raping a woman during an early April traffic stop is no longer employed by the Department of Public Safety, a spokesman said.

DPS spokesman Warren Strain said Tuesday that the trooper in question is no longer with MHP, but was unable to comment further, as the matter is a personnel issue.

The trooper was accused, but not arrested, when Pike County deputies responded to Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center on April 5 when a woman claimed she had been raped earlier that day, officials said.

Officials said the woman told deputies that she received a phone call from her younger brother saying that he was being stopped by MHP near Summit, so she went to where he was pulled over.

The woman told authorities that one of the troopers did a breathalyzer test on her, told her she was under arrest for DUI, then put her in the back of his cruiser.

The Enterprise-Journal reports that the woman said when her brother and the other trooper left the scene, she was taken to another location, then the trooper allegedly assaulted her inside the vehicle.

She said the trooper then released her from custody and left her where the alleged assault occurred. She was not charged with anything.

Officials said the woman called a family member for a ride, then sought medical treatment. Results from rape kit tests have not yet come in.

"We are continuing our investigation and will present our findings to the June session of the Pike County grand jury. No arrest has been made in the case to date," said Pike County Detective Bruce Fairburn.

The trooper has not been named by authorities.

Strain said the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is conducting an internal inquiry.