An NYPD detective and former driver for the head of the Criminal Justice Bureau groped a woman at police headquarters in lower Manhattan and is now facing sex abuse charges, officials said Friday.
Det. Paul Damico, 51, allegedly ran up and grabbed the woman’s right buttocks while she was in 1 Police Plaza at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 5.
The stunned woman turned and “observed that (Damico) was the only individual in the area directly behind me,” a complaint filed with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office read.
“I’m sorry!” Damico said as he “ran away,” according to the complaint.
Cops arrested Damico on Thursday, charging him with forcible touching and sex abuse in the third degree, both misdemeanors.
A Manhattan criminal court judge ordered him released without bail and issued an order of protection for the victim, barring Damico from approaching her for the foreseeable future. He’s expected to answer the charges in court at the end of May.
Damico was assigned to the NYPD’s Criminal Justice Bureau at the time of the alleged attack, where he drove around Bureau head Chief Ruben Beltran. In March, he was transferred to the NYPD’s Medical Division.
The second-grade detective has been with the NYPD since 1996 and earned more than $206,000 last year, city records show.
Scott Munro, head of the NYPD’s detectives union, declined to comment on the arrest when contacted. A call to Damico’s attorney was not immediately returned.
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