Baltimore officer charged with raping woman he escorted home to Harford County held without bond

A Baltimore City Police Officer is being held without bond in Harford County after allegedly raping a domestic violence victim he was called to protect.

Now, Harford County Sheriff Jeffery Gahler worries public trust is tainted after his deputies arrested 32-year-old Baltimore Police Officer Daniel Oxendine on Thursday afternoon.

In a statement from Baltimore City Police, the department said it is aware of the investigation, adding, "His police powers were previously suspended, and he is now suspended without pay. While the Harford County Sheriff's Office conducts its investigation, BPD is fully cooperating with the investigation."

The charging documents

On June 3, investigators from Harford County responded to the Greater Baltimore Medical Center for reports of a rape and learned the suspect was one of their own.

According to charging documents, Oxendine was one of several officers who responded to a home in Baltimore on June 2 for a domestic violence incident, and with permission from his supervisor, he agreed to drive the victim and her son back to their home in Edgewood.

Along the way, he allegedly stopped at a liquor store so the victim could get alcohol and a snack, before dropping them at their home.

But according to documents, he entered the victim's home and instructed the victim's son to stay outside while he made sure the home was safe.

That's when "the officer took his camera and belt off," "unzipped his pants," and demanded the victim perform oral sex on him before forcing her to have unprotected sex with him.

Charging documents say the officer "…at all points during this incident remained on duty and in uniform."

During the investigation, surveillance video showed the police cruiser assigned to Oxendine at the home for an extended period of time.

DNA evidence collected from the scene and the rape kit at the hospital also matched a sample from Oxendine.

Sheriff worries there could be more victims

Oxendine is facing several charges, including rape and a law enforcement officer engaging in a sexual act with a victim or witness. 

"We are concerned; this is a police officer, this is a person with a public trust," Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said. "Overall, we have a million police officers across the country, plus or minus, and overall the men and women go out and do an exceptional job. I think the gatekeeping in our profession is second to none, but nothing is perfect."

"I don't agree with a lot of things our legislature has done, but they have made it an extra crime for a police officer to have sexual relationships, even if they're consensual, sexual relationships with victims or witnesses in domestic incidents," he added.

Gahler worries there could be more victims.

"Just the boldness of the act, without going into the details, the audacity, if you will, just causes someone with 40 years of law enforcement experience to believe, as I've said in other cases, that this couldn't have been the first time. I pray it was, but if there are other victims who were afraid to come forward for some reason, we want them to reach out and talk to our investigators," Gahler said.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Harford County Sheriff's Office.