Delaware News

Former Wilmington officer sentenced to one year of probation for Official Misconduct

Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | News | Date Posted: Friday, October 2, 2020



DCRPT requested prison time, citing extraordinary breach of public trust

A former Wilmington police officer has been sentenced to one year of probation for Official Misconduct after receiving oral sex while on-duty in his patrol vehicle.

Thomas R. Oliver, Jr. was charged in February 2019 with Rape Second Degree, Extortion, and Official Misconduct following a Wilmington Police Department internal investigation. Oliver, then a corporal, was alleged at that time to have instructed a woman to sit in his patrol vehicle and to have exposed himself to her before indicating that she had an active arrest warrant and offering to let her go in return for oral sex.

“Thomas Oliver was not just any defendant,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “His actions were a sickening and egregious abuse of authority, an insult to our community, and an affront to his colleagues and anyone else who works to honor the public’s trust. These are challenging cases to prosecute, but I am proud beyond words of the Division of Civil Rights & Public Trust’s work to secure justice. This is a disappointing decision, but we will continue to work to ensure that nobody is above the law, nor anyone beneath justice.”

“As I noted in February 2019 at the conclusion of the investigation our department initiated, the charges against this man remain deeply troubling, sickening and disheartening,” said Wilmington Police Chief Robert Tracy. “We appreciate the work of the Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust, and it is my sincere hope that the conclusion of the judicial proceedings in this case can bring at least some degree of comfort to the victim and our community.”

A New Castle County jury acquitted Oliver of the most serious charges, including Rape, and found him guilty of Official Misconduct, a misdemeanor. Deputy Attorney General David Skoranski of the Division of Civil Rights & Public Trust led the case for the DOJ.

 

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Former Wilmington officer sentenced to one year of probation for Official Misconduct

Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | News | Date Posted: Friday, October 2, 2020



DCRPT requested prison time, citing extraordinary breach of public trust

A former Wilmington police officer has been sentenced to one year of probation for Official Misconduct after receiving oral sex while on-duty in his patrol vehicle.

Thomas R. Oliver, Jr. was charged in February 2019 with Rape Second Degree, Extortion, and Official Misconduct following a Wilmington Police Department internal investigation. Oliver, then a corporal, was alleged at that time to have instructed a woman to sit in his patrol vehicle and to have exposed himself to her before indicating that she had an active arrest warrant and offering to let her go in return for oral sex.

“Thomas Oliver was not just any defendant,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “His actions were a sickening and egregious abuse of authority, an insult to our community, and an affront to his colleagues and anyone else who works to honor the public’s trust. These are challenging cases to prosecute, but I am proud beyond words of the Division of Civil Rights & Public Trust’s work to secure justice. This is a disappointing decision, but we will continue to work to ensure that nobody is above the law, nor anyone beneath justice.”

“As I noted in February 2019 at the conclusion of the investigation our department initiated, the charges against this man remain deeply troubling, sickening and disheartening,” said Wilmington Police Chief Robert Tracy. “We appreciate the work of the Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust, and it is my sincere hope that the conclusion of the judicial proceedings in this case can bring at least some degree of comfort to the victim and our community.”

A New Castle County jury acquitted Oliver of the most serious charges, including Rape, and found him guilty of Official Misconduct, a misdemeanor. Deputy Attorney General David Skoranski of the Division of Civil Rights & Public Trust led the case for the DOJ.

 

image_printPrint


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.