Ex-Officer Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Woman During Call Testifies

The former El Paso police officer accused of forcing a woman to give him oral sex testified that the woman seduced him.

The defense and the state rested their cases after the testimony of former police Officer Zake Rivera, who faces up to 21 years in prison on charges of sexual assault and official oppression.

The jury is scheduled to begin deliberating Thursday morning, and its decision will likely hinge on whether they believe Rivera’s testimony or that of his 46-year-old accuser.

The 29-year-old Rivera appeared calm and collected on the stand Wednesday — a day after his accuser took the stand. He answered question after question about whether he exposed himself or intimidated his accuser into performing oral sex on him while she sat in the back of his squad car last January during a domestic disturbance call.

Rivera repeatedly denied the accusations, and said that his accuser was flirtatious and exposed her breasts to him before telling him she had previously worked as a dancer at a West El Paso strip club, where she told him she had performed oral sex on police officers and firefighters.

Rivera admitted that he did let the woman perform oral sex on him, but that it was purely consensual and only after she told him to show her his penis.

Rivera was then asked by his attorney whether he felt what he did was wrong.

“Yeah, it was wrong,” Rivera said. “It was wrong for me to do on the (Police) Department. It was unprofessional and unethical. I should have known better.”

Rivera, who was fired by police Chief Greg Allen in March, also said Wednesday that he regretted the whole night and his life has not been the same since.

The jury is scheduled to begin its deliberations at 9 a.m. Thursday.