Milwaukee police officer suspended & charged; prosecutors say he targeted teenage girls for sex
MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee police officer assigned to District 4 has been criminally charged in connection with a child enticement case.
Sonthana Rajaphoumi
45-year-old Sonthana Rajaphoumi is facing two counts of child enticement and one count of soliciting a child for prostitution.
Rajaphoumi was booked into the Milwaukee County Jail on Friday, April 29th. His bail was set at $10,000. He later posted that bail and was released from custody -- appearing before a judge in this case for the first time on Wednesday, May 4th.
Rajaphoumi is accused of targeting underage girls for sex -- once allegedly asking two teenagers if they wanted him as their personal cop.
According to the criminal complaint, Rajaphoumi had three encounters with a 15-year-old girl between October 2015 and January 2016.
Prosecutors say in October, Rajaphoumi was in a marked squad car and approached two teenage girls skipping school and got their phone numbers.
Sonthana Rajaphoumi
The complaint indicates that on January 3rd, Rajaphoumi went to a home of one of the girls, and asked to speak with her mother, however her mother wasn't there. During a conversation with the victim, Rajaphoumi allegedly said “show me some skin."
According to the complaint, Rajaphoumi then asked her to pull up her shirt and let him see “what’s under there." He then allegedly asked her to pull her pants down and suggested they go into the basement. At that time, the victim told Rajaphoumi to leave.
Later, when police asked what she thought Rajaphoumi wanted to do, the girl told officers: "I don't know. Strangle me or rape me."
A review of the audio recordings maintained by the Milwaukee Police Department show on January 3rd, the dispatcher called Rajaphoumi's squad number twice with no response from Rajaphoumi. On the third call from the dispatcher, Rajaphoumi replied.
Sonthana Rajaphoumi
A 16-year-old victim claims in April, when she was being booked, she was approached by Rajaphoumi, who later allegedly showed up at her home.
Prosecutors say the girl recorded the conversation with her cell phone. She claims Rajaphoumi offered to give her $200 in exchange for sex.
Rajaphoumi has been suspended from the Milwaukee Police Department.
He remains out of custody on his $10,000 bail until his next hearing, scheduled for May 12th.