US COURT SENTENCES FORMER POLICE OFFICER SINMI ASOMUYIDE TO 40 YEARS FOR SEXUALLY ASSAULTING TEENAGER

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

A former police officer in the United States, Sinmi Asomuyide, has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl while on duty in Indiana.

Asomuyide, 33, a former officer of the Kokomo Police Department, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release after completing his prison term.

The United States Department of Justice disclosed this in a statement published on its website on Thursday, November 5, 2026.

He was convicted in June 2026, following a five-day jury trial, of deprivation of rights under colour of law, witness tampering and destruction of records.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Asomuyide first encountered the victim on June 30, 2024, while responding to a 911 call from her father, who had reported her missing as a runaway.

Asomuyide, who was then 31, and another officer located the teenager at the home of another underage girl and took her into custody before transporting her to the Kinsey Youth Center.

The Justice Department said Asomuyide switched off his body-worn camera while entering the facility’s sallyport garage, contrary to police department policy.

He subsequently took the teenager’s mobile phone and used it to call his personal TextNow number before questioning her about her sexual history.

During a pat-down search, he also discovered a vape pen in her back pocket. After entering the youth centre, he reportedly escorted her to a side room and said he would contact her later to return the item.

The teenager was later picked up from the centre by a family friend at her father’s direction.

Before leaving, she sent Asomuyide the username of one of her social media accounts, while he requested her TikTok username.

The department said the two continued exchanging text messages throughout the evening, with the teenager believing he intended to return her vape pen.

Prosecutors said Asomuyide later returned to the police station and requested overtime, claiming he would complete paperwork between 10pm and midnight.

However, instead of remaining at the station, he allegedly left to pick up the teenager.

According to the statement, he arrived at the family friend’s apartment in his police uniform and requested to speak privately with the girl under the pretext of determining where she should stay.

He allegedly handcuffed her in the back of his patrol vehicle and drove to an empty warehouse car park, where he removed the handcuffs, moved her to the front seat and sexually assaulted her.

The former officer subsequently handcuffed the teenager again and drove her back to the apartment complex.

The victim later reported the incident to family members and law enforcement authorities, prompting an investigation by the Indiana State Police.

During a forensic examination of Asomuyide’s patrol vehicle, investigators discovered a