Policeman charged with 8 sex assaults freed on bond
Daniel Holtzclaw, center, an Oklahoma City police officer accused of sexually assaulting women he encountered while on patrol, was led into a courtroom for a bond hearing on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
OKLAHOMA CITY » An Oklahoma City police officer charged with sexually assaulting at least eight women was released on $500,000 bond Friday two days after his bond was reduced from $5 million, even though a prosecutor said he was a danger to the community.
Daniel Ken Holtzclaw, 27, was released Friday on several conditions, according to Oklahoma County jailers and his attorney. He is under house arrest and can go only to court and his attorney’s office. He must turn in his police gear, guns and badge and is prohibited from contacting any alleged victims.
He successfully petitioned on Wednesday to have his bond reduced.
Holtzclaw was arrested Aug. 21 and later charged with 16 felony counts that include first-degree rape, sexual battery, indecent exposure, stalking, forcible oral sodomy and burglary. He could face up to life in prison if convicted on the first-degree rape charge alone.
He has pleaded not guilty and his attorney, Scott Adams, said Holtzclaw denies the allegations.
"Family and friends rallied and posted his bond this (Friday) morning," said Adams, after Holtzclaw was released and fitted with a GPS monitoring device on his ankle.
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"He’s getting ready to go back to Enid," where he is to stay with his parents, Adams said.
Holtzclaw was a standout linebacker at Enid High School and Eastern Michigan University and is the son of an Enid police lieutenant.
Prosecutor Gayland Gieger, who argued against the bond reduction and called Holtzclaw a danger to the community, declined comment on Holtzclaw’s release.
"I just hope he follows the conditions the judge set forth," Gieger said.
According to the charging documents, Holtzclaw told the women that if they didn’t comply with his wishes, they would be arrested or physically harmed.
The investigation began when police said a woman complained that Holtzclaw had sexually assaulted her during a traffic stop on a boulevard about two miles north of the state Capitol.
Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty said when announcing Holtzclaw’s arrest that he had been placed on leave when the allegations emerged in June.
Police Capt. Dexter Nelson said Holtzclaw remained on paid leave as of Friday.
