Is 90 days in jail an adequate punishment for a police officer who rapes a handcuffed woman he is escorting back home?

That is the case with Curtis Lee Arganbright, 41, a former Colorado police officer who resigned after being convicted of raping a woman he was dispatched to escort back home.

Following his admission of guilt, Arganbright was given 90 days in jail and four years probation while he must also register as a sex offender.

The Officer Raped the Handcuffed Woman and Then Gave Her His Card for Further Contact

It started on August 23, 2017 when the 36-year-old woman went to the St. Anthony North Health Campus Hospital in Westminster. She had gone by herself to be treated for alcoholism. But the hospital staff alleged that she tried stealing things from the emergency room and called the police. Arganbright was dispatched to the hospital.

When the cop arrived at the hospital, management decided to drop all charges against the woman as long as the police officer would escort her out of the hospital to her home. It was the early morning of August 24, and Arganbright handcuffed the woman and put her in the Westminster police patrol car, home-bound.

Along the journey, the officer parked the car by the roadside and ordered the woman to step out. Still handcuffed, he forced her to have sex with him on the front of the car, and proceeded to force her to perform oral acts on him. Following their arrival to her home, he gave the woman his card and told her to “call me sometime.” He warned her in the car not to report the incident to anyone or she’d regret it.

But the woman returned to the hospital the following day to say that Arganbright had sexually assaulted her. The Broomfield Police were alerted and they arrived with a rape kit. It became apparent the alleged incident did happen. Arganbright was arrested and suspended without pay, but he resigned from the Westminster Police Department. He also consented to the fact that he raped the woman.

The Police Department Is Sickened and Numbed by Arganbright’s Misdemeanors

The officer pled guilty in court. Although the victim was not in court, her mother was present. She revealed how her daughter was sexually assaulted and how she suffers from extreme PTSD on account of the brutal rape. As part of his sentencing, Arganbright was asked to enter a treatment program.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Trevor Moritzky of the 17th Judicial DA’s Office in Colorado expressed sadness at the event. He told the court that Arganbright had violated the trust the government reposed in him and took advantage of a vulnerable person whom he was supposed to protect.

Westminster Police Chief Tim Carlson said the corrupt officer’s misdemeanors had shocked and demoralized his colleagues in the department. He said that the deed “sickens” his soul and had left him “numb.” He added that the agony the victim is going through at the moment cannot be imagined.