admin
Former United States police officer, Sinmi Asomuyide, has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl while serving as a police officer in Indiana. He will also serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison sentence.
The 33-year-old former officer of the Kokomo Police Department received the sentence following his conviction in June 2026. A five-day jury trial found him guilty of deprivation of rights under colour of law, witness tampering and destruction of records. The United States Department of Justice announced the sentence in a statement published on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
Court documents revealed that Asomuyide first encountered the teenager on June 30, 2024, after her father contacted emergency services to report her missing as a runaway. He and another police officer located the girl at the home of another minor and took her into custody before transporting her to the Kinsey Youth Center. However, upon entering the facility’s garage, Asomuyide switched off his body-worn camera in violation of police department policy. He also took the teenager’s phone and used it to contact his personal TextNow number before questioning her about her sexual history.
During a search, the former officer discovered a vape pen in the girl’s back pocket. He later escorted her to a separate room and told her he would contact her to arrange the return of the item. After a family friend picked her up from the youth centre at her father’s direction, the teenager shared the username of one of her social media accounts with Asomuyide, who also requested her TikTok username. The two continued exchanging messages throughout the evening.
Prosecutors said Asomuyide later requested overtime at the police station, claiming he would be completing paperwork between 10pm and midnight. Instead, he allegedly left the station and went to the apartment where the teenager was staying with the family friend. Arriving in his police uniform, he asked to speak with her privately before handcuffing her in the back of his patrol vehicle and driving to an empty warehouse car park, according to the Justice Department.
At the warehouse, Asomuyide removed the handcuffs, moved the teenager to the front seat and sexually assaulted her. He subsequently handcuffed her again and drove her back to the apartment complex. The victim later reported the incident to family members and law enforcement authorities, leading to an investigation by the Indiana State Police. A forensic examination of the patrol vehicle also uncovered a dried semen stain on the centre console, which investigators said matched Asomuyide’s DNA.
Investigators further found evidence of attempts to conceal the incident. During an interview about a week after the assault, Asomuyide allegedly denied giving the teenager his phone number and claimed she might have overheard him reciting it to an employee at the youth centre. He also claimed she contacted him through a work phone, although officers in the department were not issued such devices. A forensic examination of his personal phone revealed that he had searched for phrases including “how to delete TextMe account” and “TextNow delete account” within hours of the assault.
The Justice Department also disclosed that Asomuyide had faced an earlier allegation involving a minor while working for the Portsmouth Police Department in Virginia. He was reportedly forced to resign following an allegation that he had sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl while off duty. When applying to join the Kokomo Police Department, he allegedly misrepresented the circumstances of his departure, claiming he had been forced to resign because he was associating with a 17-year-old girl who had told him she was 19. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said the sentence demonstrated the department’s commitment to holding officers accountable when they abuse their authority. US Attorney Tom Wheeler, FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley and Indiana State Police spokesperson Captain Ron Galaviz also condemned the abuse of police power and reaffirmed their agencies’ commitment to protecting children.
