Crime & Safety

Nearby: Baldwin Woman Accuses Cop of Molestation

Fourth Precinct officer assaulted woman after she was arrested in Island Park, reports say.

A Nassau County cop is accused of molesting a Baldwin woman in the back seat of a squad car as another officer drove, according to WABC.

Jenny Hannigan, 27, of Baldwin, said she had been arrested in Island Park under suspicion of drunk driving, was handcuffed, and placed in the backseat of a squad car, said the report. Fourth Precinct Officer Gary Zima allegedly sat next to her in the car and assaulted her as another officer drove, said the report.

The incident occurred June 10, 2011 at about 2:15 a.m., said Newsday. Hannigan had refused to take a breathalyzer test when she was stopped and was charged with driving with a suspended license, driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving without headlights, failure to signal, and failure to stay in a lane, reported Newsday.

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Hannigan filed a report with NCPD's Internal Affairs bureau immediately following the incident, but the allegations were found "undetermined," according to WABC.

Internal Affairs did acknowledge that "Zima accessed Hannigan's record, got her cell phone number, and texted her days after the incident" asking how she was doing, said the report.

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"The fact that he was texting me wasn't so much more outside of the norm considering what happened, but I was happy it gave me something to show that something odd had transpired," Hannigan said, according to Newsday.

Zima and his superiors are now the target of a lawsuit taken out by Hannigan, WABC reported. The lawsuit accuses the police department of failing to prosecute the officers and of violating her civil rights.

Also targeted in the suit is Officer Rachel Miller, who was driving the car when Hannigan says the molestation occurred.

"I was visibly trying to make eye contact with her and felt like she was purposefully not paying attention to what was going on in the back seat," Hannigan told WABC.

The case was filed with the US District Court in Central Islip. Hannigan is represented by Garden City attorney Amy Marion, Newsday said.


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