Cleveland Police officer convicted of gross sexual imposition
02/07/2022 12:04 pm PST
CLEVELAND (TCD) -- A police officer accused of raping victims in 2017 and 2019 has been found guilty on two counts of gross sexual imposition this week.
According to WOIO-TV, in October 2019, Matthew Piter met a woman on Tinder, and the two went to the restaurant Si Senor at 16800 Lorain Ave. Piter and the victim, later identified as Ashley Spencer, reportedly went to Piter’s home afterward, where, according to a criminal complaint obtained by WOIO, Piter pushed the woman to a wall while his hands were around her neck and allegedly raped her. The victim reportedly called a Lyft driver to take her home before calling police.
According to WJW-TV, police learned about a second assault after his 2019 arrest, in which Piter reportedly had attacked someone in May 2017. WKYC-TV reports that the other accuser, Lauren Little, said she and Piter met on the dating app Bumble.
On Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, WJW reported Piter was found guilty on two counts of gross sexual imposition. He will reportedly have to register as a Tier 1 sex offender as a result. However, WKYC reports that Piter was found not guilty of rape.
According to WJW, Piter was hired as an officer in the Second District for the Cleveland Division of Police in 2016.
His sentencing is reportedly scheduled for Feb. 28.
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