Authorities say a Dalton police officer was not guilty of rape allegations made before he fatally shot himself in police headquarters in 2009.
“It’s good to be able to bring this case to closure,” said Chief Jason Parker. “The public’s trust is something we don’t take for granted.”
PDF: Sparks Investigation
A 14-month investigation headed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation found no physical evidence to prove whether Officer Paul Sparks had sexual intercourse with a woman while on duty, officials say.
But based on the evidence and interviews, authorities know Officer Sparks didn’t rape the woman, GBI Special Agent Jerry Scott said.
“In something like this we have her story and we have no story from Paul. That makes it tough,” Agent Scott said.
He said many of the woman’s allegations were untrue but she won’t be prosecuted for making false statements. For charges to stick, said Kermit McManus, district attorney for the Conasauga Judicial Circuit, the DA’s office would have to prove what statements were false.
“You can’t do that with the evidence at hand,” Mr. McManus said.
The Jan. 10, 2009 incident started with Officer Sparks responding to a report of a fight between two females at the Oyster Pub Bar, said police spokesman Bruce Frazier.
He said one of the women left before officers arrived, but when she came back to pay her bar tab she claimed Officer Sparks approached her asking questions about the fight.
Two hours later, someone called the police department and said the woman had been raped by a police officer.
The woman was taken to Hamilton Medical Center for an examination, and police command staff began to discuss how to handle the case, he said.
Officer Sparks then excused himself, went into the restroom and shot himself, Mr. Frazier said.
Chief Parker said Officer Sparks had no record of misconduct.
While the department has policies to protect officers from getting into inappropriate situations, people make mistakes, he said.
“It’s best to take as many precautions to even avoid the appearance of impropriety,” he said.
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