Anaheim police officer allegedly raped woman in her home after tracking her down using her license plate

Anaheim Police Officer Carlos Romero is involved in a civil lawsuit filed by a woman identified only as “Jane Doe” after she alleged he raped her in her home.

Romero, who is still employed by the Anaheim Police Department but is currently off duty pending the conclusion of the investigation, allegedly ran the license plate of the victim’s vehicle in May 2023 while she was at the drive-thru of an In-N-Out Burger and obtained her contact information.

It is illegal for police officers to check a license plate unless there is a legitimate reason to do so. The OCDA Special Unit charged Romero in April with a misdemeanor of “unauthorized disclosure of Department of Motor Vehicle information,” a database that police are only allowed to use for law enforcement purposes, according to the OC Register.

According to court records, Romero pleaded not guilty to the offense.

According to the indictment, Romero sent the woman a friend request on Facebook the following day and admitted to checking her license plate while she was waiting in line at the fast-food chain.

When Romero asked for her number, she gave it to him but made it clear that she was not interested in a romantic relationship, the complaint states.

Romero is then accused of texting the woman while on duty and stopping by her home from time to time. The complaint also states that the woman consented to this and on at least one occasion agreed to kiss the officer but declined offers of sexual intercourse.

On Sept. 25, 2023, after receiving a text message from the officer, she allowed him to come over. Romero showed up in his police vehicle and in uniform, according to the complaint, and the two kissed, and he performed oral sex on her. He then penetrated her with his fingers, the woman “expressed her pain,” the complaint states, and the officer then called her a “brat.” The woman claims the officer then forced her to perform oral sex on him and eventually forcibly had sex with her.

“Throughout these events, Romero’s gun was on the top cushion of Plaintiff’s couch, in full view of Plaintiff and within reach of Romero,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiff was terrified and fearful for her life. She just wanted Romero to leave.”

Unfortunately, the OCDA declined to file charges against Romero, citing that they could not “prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed a crime.”

A spokesperson for the city of Anaheim told the Orange County outlet that Romero was relieved of duty in October immediately after the allegations became known and that an internal investigation into the allegations is already underway.