Judge awards $50,000 in alleged sex assault by police chief

(AP) — A federal judge on Monday awarded $50,000 in damages to a woman who accused a former Louisiana police chief of sexually assaulting her in his office while she was drunk and he was on duty.

U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick ruled that the town of Sorrento and its former police chief, Earl Theriot, are both liable for violating the woman's constitutional rights.

The judge ruled the town is liable for Theriot's actions because the evidence established that he was the "chief policymaker regarding day-to-day law enforcement" in Sorrento.

A court filing that accompanied Theriot's guilty plea in the criminal case said he had "inappropriate sexual contact" with the woman on Nov. 1, 2013.

The plea deal for the criminal case required him to resign from his post in Sorrento, where sheriff's deputies now patrol the town of roughly 1,500 residents.