The Cleveland Police Department has been rocked by yet another allegation of sexual misconduct.
Carl Walls and Chad Nave have been accused of extramarital affairs after a female filed a report alleging that she was sexually assaulted at a Gatlinburg cabin over the past weekend.
Walls had allegedly been having an extramarital affair with the female, who claims she was sexually assaulted, for two months, said Mark Gibson, chief of the Cleveland Police. Nave had been in a relationship with another female at the cabin, after she was involved in a police ride-along with the officer as an intern, the chief said.
Gibson confirmed that four officers on the same patrol shift rented the cabin in Gatlinburg over the weekend, but Walls and Nave may have gone to the cabin a day early with the two females. Gibson didn't know the purpose of the gathering, but said the two other officers will also be questioned. Gibson declined to give the names of the other two officers.
The department has launched an internal affairs investigation, and the two named officers have been placed on leave.
The female, who as a potential victim of sexual assault has not been identified, checked into the Skyridge Medical Center's Emergency room on Friday morning. No report has been filed in Sevier County where the assault allegedly happened.
District attorneys in Sevier County and in Bradley County are cooperating with the Bradley County Sheriff's Office.
Gibson said any criminal violations would be dealt with by the Sevier County District Attorney.
"I am embarrassed and ashamed of the unbecoming conduct of these officers," Gibson said. "This is unacceptable behavior and will not be tolerated. We will take swift and concise action to resolve this. If the investigation shows that departmental policies have been violated, it will be dealt with in the appropriate manner."
Walls has been employed with the Cleveland Police Department since December 2007. Nave has been employed there since January 2013.
Previous sex scandals at the department have gone all the way to the top.
Cleveland's ex-police chief, Dennis Maddux, resigned in May after an incident in which another police officer found his wife and Maddux together in a car. The two eventually admitted that they had been having sexual relations for months.
And former Chief Wes Snyder abruptly retired in January 2014 after a surveillance tape surfaced showing him and a woman entering and leaving an apparent love nest, tucked away inside a rental warehouse storage unit fitted with a rug, blankets and a bottle of brandy.