California police officer charged with sexually assaulting a woman he pursued after checking her license plate

A California woman filed a lawsuit in federal court this week against an Anaheim police officer, accusing him of sexually assaulting her four months after he first noticed her at an In-N-Out restaurant and contacted her using her license plate number.

The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, also accuses Anaheim police officer Carlos Romero of assault and sexual battery in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The city of Anaheim is also named as a defendant.

The woman claims she was subjected to an unreasonable search and seizure and was denied her right to due process.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office did not respond to calls Wednesday asking whether it was considering filing criminal charges against Romero.

Romero, who is on leave from the Anaheim Police Department, could not be reached for comment Wednesday and it was not known whether he has an attorney.

“We hold our police officers to the highest standards, and our Police Department thoroughly investigates all cases of employee misconduct,” said Mike Lyster, a spokesman for the city of Anaheim.

He said officials immediately launched a criminal investigation after learning of the alleged incident.

In the lawsuit, the woman states that on May 19, 2023, she was at an In-N-Out restaurant in Anaheim when she noticed Romero smiling at her.

The next day, she received a Facebook friend request from Romero, who confirmed in a direct message that he had retrieved her personal information using her license plate number, the lawsuit says.

Romero asked her for her phone number and the two began exchanging messages. According to the document, the woman stated that she did not want a romantic relationship.

In the months that followed, Romero occasionally sent her text messages and visited her at home while on duty, the lawsuit says.

At one point, the woman agreed to kiss Romero at his home but rejected his sexual advances, the lawsuit says. On Sept. 25, 2023, Romero asked the woman to visit the woman’s home, to which she agreed and made it clear to him that she did not want to have sex, it says.

Romero, who was on duty, wearing a uniform and driving his police vehicle, began kissing the woman and later performed oral sex with her consent, the complaint says. But then he pulled down his pants and sexually assaulted her, the complaint says.

The woman repeatedly told Romero “no,” but he continued until she was able to push him away, the lawsuit says. He then grabbed her and forced her to have oral sex with him, it says.

She “was scared and afraid for her life,” the lawsuit says. “She just wanted Romero to leave.” His service weapon was within reach on a couch, the lawsuit says.

The woman is demanding at least $10,000,000 in damages. Her lawyer, Gregory Peacock, was not available for comment on Wednesday.