Florida officer accused of trying to assault woman during 911 call
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida officer is accused of trying to sexually batter a woman while responding to a 911 call last week, according to an arrest affidavit.
James Bush, 33, who is a West Palm Beach police officer, responded to the victim’s home on July 10 after a man tried to evict his girlfriend.
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The affidavit said the victim was sleeping at the man’s home when she woke up to them yelling at her and throwing her belongings out the front door.
When the woman called 911, Bush arrived at the home and told the redacted individual to stop throwing out her things. The victim told Bush the individual had been abusive with her in the past and didn’t want to be near them, according to the report.
Bush then asked the victim, “Do you want to go upstairs and have some fun?” the affidavit revealed.
The woman asked if that meant he wanted to talk, to which he responded “Yeah.”
The two went upstairs when Bush grabbed her tricep, leading her to a bedroom. The affidavit said the woman offered him a kiss, as she was at eye level with his gun and thought he would try to rape her.
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At one point during the encounter, Bush exposed himself and grabbed the woman’s neck, trying to force her to perform a sexual act.
Bush left, as the woman’s boyfriend returned to the apartment.
A while later, the boyfriend called the police again, wanting a restraining order against the woman. Bush and another officer showed up at the residence.
The woman told the other officer that Bush tried to sexually assault her, to which Bush replied, “No I didn’t, she’s lying.”
When she said she had the evidence on her phone, Bush grabbed her phone during a struggle and deleted the video, which was later recovered and used as evidence.
Bush was arrested on Friday and booked into the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office Main Detention Center. He is facing charges of attempted sexual battery, robbery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, and soliciting for prostitution. He is being held on a $341,000 bond.
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