ST. LOUIS — A male St. Louis Metropolitan Police officer is accused of assaulting a female officer multiple times while on duty, according to court documents.
Rashard C. Lovelace, 31, faces four counts of fourth-degree domestic assault for assaulting an officer with whom he was in a relationship, according to court documents. The alleged assaults happened in various city locations in July and August 2020. Witnesses in the charging documents include at least four St. Louis police officers.
Lovelace punched the officer in the chest two times, and two other times he put his hand around her neck in an "aggressive manner," according to court documents.
A judge initially revoked Lovelace's bond, but he was released this week on his own recognizance. Part of the condition of his bond is to stay away from the victim. His next court date is set for May 18, and his attorney did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday.
Lovelace still is employed by the city, according to the police department, which did not say if he was facing repercussions for the pending charges. He has been with the department since November 2018.
Earlier this year, two other male St. Louis officers — Lafael Lawshea and Torey Phelps, both 38 — were charged with rape.
Lawshea is accused of raping multiple women and contacting one of the victims during the investigation and urging her to say the allegation was false. He faces two counts of forcible rape along with counts of forcible sodomy, sexual misconduct and tampering with a victim. His bond was revoked until trial.
A judge allowed Phelps to be released on house arrest and a $10,000 bond; he is also charged with raping a woman.
Both still are employed by the department. Lawshea has been a St. Louis officer since 2008 and Phelps since 2007.
A third officer, Sgt. Jatonya Clayborn-Muldrow, who's been with the department for 20 years, was also charged with tampering with a witness in the case. Charging documents say she attempted to dissuade one woman from reporting a sexual assault by Lawshea and then inquired into who was leading the internal affairs investigation.
A female St. Louis officer told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch in March that she was sexually assaulted by a fellow officer, and she said there was unaddressed rape culture in the department.
