Officer convicted of rape

SHREVEPORT, La. Shreveport police officer Fredrick Harris was convicted today of raping a woman he stopped for a traffic violation, but acquitted of a separate charge of molestation of a juvenile.

Investigators said Harris stopped the woman, who had two warrants out for her arrest for traffic violations, while he was out on patrol in January 2003. The woman testified in court yesterday that he took money from her in exchange for not bringing her to jail, but then said the money wouldn't be enough.

He then took the 25-year-old woman into custody, and drove her to another location where he raped her.

Police also arrested Harris on one count of molestation of a juvenile for allegedly attempting to sexually assault a 14-year-old girl in July 2002, but the judge acquitted Harris on that charge.

Shreveport police said Harris was transporting the girl from a youth shelter to her home when he allegedly pulled his patrol car next to a vacant building and attempted to have sex with her.
Harris was fired in February 2003, a month before a grand jury indicted him on a charge of forcible rape.