A Phoenix cop accused of raping a woman in 2018 kept his job and allegedly sexually assaulted two others the following year, a victim claims in a new lawsuit.
Krystofer Lee, 31, announced her lawsuit Tuesday against the city of Phoenix and former Officer Sean Pena, who was charged with three felonies in June, the Arizona Republic reported.
Lee’s filing claims Pena raped her in his police cruiser in June 2019 following an alleged “welfare check” during which officers demanded to see her purse before putting her into Pena’s vehicle. She was then taken by the officer to a vacant lot where she was sexually assaulted, according to the complaint.
The Nov. 25 filing in Maricopa County Superior Court also accuses Pena of sexually assaulting a third woman in August 2019.
That victim is “so terrified” and is still afraid to come forward, a community activist with Lee claimed Tuesday.
“[Pena] shattered their lives, they’re not the same — clearly,” the Rev. Jarrett Maupin said. “If this is the way, in the fifth-largest city in America, in 2020, almost 2021, we treat rape victims – my God.”
The officer, a three-year veteran, was fired in July, one month after he was charged with sexual assault in Lee’s case and two counts of sexual misconduct relating to his earlier accuser. That woman reported to the department in August 2018 that Pena raped her while she was handcuffed in his patrol vehicle, the newspaper reported.
Investigators did not find Pena’s DNA during a rape kit examination and he has denied the allegations by both women, a probable cause statement shows. He faces anywhere between five and 19 years in prison if convicted.
“I trusted them at one point, now I can’t trust them at all,” Lee said of police officers. “You’re supposed to protect and serve, and that was not protecting or serving.”
Lee reported the alleged attack to Phoenix officials in November 2019, leading Pena to be put on leave. He was later indicted in August on charges of sexual assault and unlawful sexual conduct by a police officer, according to Lee’s filing, which claims city officials knew of the officer’s “deplorable acts of sexual violence” but kept him on the job anyway.
Lee said she has “severe emotional distress” from Pena’s attack, including PTSD. The mother of two is seeking financial and emotional damages to be determined at trial, the newspaper reported.
“To keep on failing to serve and protect is just not OK,” Lee told reporters Tuesday, according to KNXV. “At some point, you need to say what are we doing wrong and help.”
A Phoenix police spokeswoman, meanwhile, told the station that department officials investigated every sex assault allegation made against Pena.
“The Phoenix Police Department demands the highest degree of integrity and professionalism from all members of the Department and takes all allegations of misconduct against employees seriously,” Sgt. Maggie Cox told the station in an email.
In a statement to The Post, Pena’s attorney declined to comment, citing his pending charges.
“Once his case is over and he is determined to be innocent of all the charges against him, Sean and I will certainly address the spurious allegations levied against him,” attorney Jess Lorona said in an email.
