Pedro BaconA retired, high-ranking Chattanooga police officer accused of helping cover up a rape allegation that is being investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies has been summoned before a federal grand jury.
Pedro Bacon, a retired captain previously over the city police department’s internal affairs division, was subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury in mid-April and went to Chattanooga U.S. District Court on June 25 in connection with a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe into fired officer Desmond Logan and any efforts to suppress rape allegations against him, according to three people with knowledge of the situation.
Although June 25 was a scheduled day for grand jury proceedings, it’s unclear what happened at the courthouse. Bacon could have testified under oath before a grand jury, which is an impaneled group of citizens who hear evidence from prosecutors and return indictments in criminal cases. He could have appeared but refused to answer questions. He could have “proffered” information, not under oath, to federal authorities that would help them make an arrest, get a search warrant or just further their investigation in the hopes of cutting a deal.
Chattanooga attorney Robin Flores, who is representing Bacon, confirmed his client received a subpoena but said “that’s all I can comment on.”
Bacon has not been charged in any publicly available criminal indictments, but his grand jury subpoena indicates federal authorities might be looking into allegations that he and another high-ranking retired officer, Assistant Chief Edwin McPherson, may have been involved in suppressing an accusation that Logan raped a woman in 2015. The Times Free Press reported on that allegation, provided by multiple sources who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, in May.