Ex-Harris Co. deputy accused of forcing sex while on duty

Friday, June 7, 2019

Former deputy charged with sex assault, fired after admitting to sex on job: Constable

ABC13's T.J. Parker reports on the charges against a former deputy who a constable said was fired for admitting to having sex on the job.

SPRING, Texas (KTRK) -- A former Harris County deputy constable is accused of following a woman to her home and forcing sex with her last summer, a source told ABC13.

Criminal documents state 37-year-old Richard Cornejo was indicted Wednesday on two counts of sexual assault. He was taken into custody Thursday.

Cornejo was first sworn as a deputy with the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office in June 2016.

According to the documents, the sexual assault took place on July 28, 2018. An ABC13 source stated Cornejo found a woman passed out in a vehicle outside of an after hours nightclub. At some point, Cornejo followed the woman to her home, where the alleged encounter took place.

Constable Mark Herman told ABC13 Cornejo was fired from the constable's office late last year. He released this statement concerning the case:

"Our office was contacted by the Houston Police Department on November 5, 2018, about a female victim that had made an outcry of a sexual assault, that had occurred in July 2018, by a deputy employed with our agency. Our Internal Affairs Division launched an investigation and identified the employee as Richard Cornejo.

Cornejo was immediately removed from patrol duties and placed on office duties during the Internal Affairs Investigation. During our internal investigation the employee Richard Cornejo admitted to having consensual sex with the female while on duty. Richard Cornejo was terminated from our office on
November 9, 2018 for department policy violations. Our office has, and will continue to work with the Houston Police Department on this matter."