Bridgeport cop faces sex assault charges

SHELTON — A Bridgeport police officer was arrested and charged with one count of firstdegree sexual assault Saturday, NBC Connecticut reported. The arrest was not his first.

Over the past two years, police have arrested Steven Figueroa, 29, on domestic violence charges a total of three times, a previous Connecticut Post report and releases from the Shelton Police Department reveal.

The latest of those arrests took place in Shelton late last month. After an investigation, police came to believe Figueroa sexually assaulted the same woman who was the complainant in that case, they said.

Bridgeport police told NBC Connecticut that they have placed Figueroa on administrative leave and that the city’s Office of Internal Affairs will conduct an investigation.

In the wake of Figueroa’s second arrest, which took place in 2018, Bridgeport Police Chief Armando Perez described a similar response.

“I’m extremely disappointed,” Perez told Hearst Connecticut Media at the time. “After his first arrest we spent a lot of time mentoring this officer, but now that there has been a second arrest we are going to let the chips fall where they may.”

Officials from the police department and the mayor’s office had not responded to Hearst’s email and phone requests for comment on Figueroa’s latest charges as of 5:00 p.m. Saturday.

State Senator Marilyn Moore (D22), who is running against incumbent fellow democrat Joseph Ganim in Bridgeport’s next mayoral election, shared her thoughts in an email, saying she hopes the Bridgeport Police Department “acts accordingly” and reviews its “policy and procedures on how they handled the first two charges against the officer.”

“I am assuming that this officer’s gun was taken from him and he is not a threat to anyone during this investigation into sexual assault. His home should also be searched to ensure he does not have any other weapons. The accusation is a serious offense. I am grateful to the Shelton police who took action and arrested the officer,” Moore said.

The events that led to the latest allegations against Figueroa occurred on the morning of June 29, when neighbors reported a disturbance in Figueroa’s Shelton apartment, according to releases. But police could not make contact with anyone in the residence, they said.

Later that morning, a woman reported that Figueroa would not let her leave his apartment after she went there in the early hours to retrieve personal belongings, a release said.

A twomonthold baby was present during the disturbance, according to police, who charged Figueroa with disorderly conduct, thirddegree assault, seconddegree threatening, seconddegree unlawful restraint and risk of injury to a minor.

They’ve now added firstdegree sexual assault to that list.

Figueroa, who was released on a $75,000 bond, is set to appear in state Superior Court in Derby on July 22, police said.

Figueroa had not yet been convicted of the related domestic violence charges as of July 20, the website for Connecticut’s Judicial Branch showed. His next court date for that case is scheduled for July 30.