Connecticut Sexual Assault Arrests

Connecticut sexual assault arrests can be intimidating for those accused. Sex crimes are treated strictly in CT courts, and those accused could face serious social stigma in addition to the legal penalties.

If you were accused of sexual assault, you could benefit from the services of a top CT sex crimes attorney. A criminal defense attorney could fight to protect your rights and your future.

What Happens After a Sexual Assault is Reported in CT?

When a sexual assault report has been made in Connecticut, authorities process a report of the sexual assault by taking a statement from the alleged victim. Sometimes they even send the alleged victim to a hospital to get a rape test done or to undergo an examination. If the alleged victim is a minor, they might undergo a forensic examination. The police would also conduct interviews with other parties that might have witnessed something or have testimony to share about the allegations. The police would also contact the person accused of committing the sexual assault and conduct an interview with them, as well.

The police interview anyone who might have pertinent testimonies, whether or not there is probable cause to initiate an arrest. If there is probable cause, they would initiate the arrest for the sexual assault. If there is no probable cause at the time, they might continue their investigation until they get more information. If they do their investigation and decide there is no probable cause, they might close the case.

False Statements in Connecticut

There is one scenario in which a law enforcement officer might arrest both the alleged attacker and the alleged victim. If the police take an alleged victim’s complaint, complete an investigation, and decide that the alleged victim made up the complaint and made a false statement to the police, they would arrest the alleged victim for making that false statement.

The attacker’s case would be dropped and not need to be defended in court if the alleged victim gets arrested. If the alleged victim has been proven wrong by law enforcement, or they go back and they recant their story, they could be arrested for making a false report at the police or submitting a false rape test, which can be considered tampering with evidence.

Investigations

Investigations are common prior to the arrest of sexual assault cases. Typically, a sexual assault is not reported until days, months, or years later. The only scenario in which an investigation might not be conducted is if the police witnessed a sex assault happening or if they are called to the scene of a sex assault. If they get to the scene and have a probable cause to believe that an assault occurred, they issue an arrest. In most other scenarios, there is going to be an investigation.

This is especially true for cases in which the alleged victim is younger, because the alleged victim is less likely to report the incident until they get older and understand the severity of it. In that case, they would have to make a complaint with the police. The police would conduct an investigation, so that could also be a statutory crime.

Role of Probable Cause

It is not common for law enforcement officers to arrest an alleged attacker prior to conducting an investigation. The only time that this could happen is if they have probable cause to believe that it actually occurred. This could be if the police arrived on the scene of an attack, if they witnessed the attack, or if they got a call from a witness saying that the attack is underway. In those scenarios, law enforcement could go the scene and issue an arrest without conducting an investigation. In all other situations, the alleged victim needs to report the assault to the police department and the police department would conduct the investigation prior to issuing an arrest.

Speak With a Connecticut Sex Crimes Attorney

If you were involved in Connecticut sexual assault arrests, do not hesitate before contacting a top criminal defense attorney. A lawyer could stand by your side and defend you from these allegations. They could work tirelessly towards an optimum outcome in your case. Call today to get started.