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Posted: 10:57 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013
LEESBURG, Fla. —
WFTV has learned new information related to a Leesburg police officer accused of sexually battering a woman he arrested.
Channel 9's Kenneth Craig broke the story last month when Henri Bart Larue was arrested and charged with sexual battery by a law enforcement officer with a firearm.
Larue is currently out of jail on bond.
The case began when the alleged victim said Larue drove behind a strip mall, stopped the car and made her perform a sex act after she was arrested for driving on a suspended license.
On Thursday, Craig began poring through 250 pages of new evidence in the case. Investigators said in dispatch recordings after Larue dropped the alleged victim off at the jail, he joked about flirting and even making a "pit stop" on the way.
"You know how it is when you're flirting with a female," Larue said to the dispatcher.
"Yeah, yeah, but that's OK, we understand," said the dispatcher.
Later Larue said, "It's alright, we made a pit stop and all that good. You know it goes, how it is ... not really."
Later that dispatcher texted Larue and said, "Hey, I know what you did with that girl."
Larue's attorney told Channel 9 the officer was "joking" in the dispatch transmissions.
The evidence documents also include the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's entire investigation into the incident, and it shows what appears to be a strong case against Larue, according to Craig.
The documents also indicate investigators questioned how long it took Larue to get the woman to the jail, saying it simply took too long to get from Point A to Point B.
Investigators said a ride from the police station to the jail should have taken about 12 minutes. They said Larue's time was nearly double that. The documents show Larue then failed to document his arrival time at the jail.
FDLE said they made the decision to arrest Larue last month for several reasons. They said Larue's clothing and patrol vehicle were tested and have DNA evidence that supports the claims the woman told Channel 9 in October.
But Larue's attorney said the DNA evidence doesn't mean anything.
The victim broke down in tears as she talked with WFTV last month.
"I was shocked, ashamed," the woman told WFTV. "I didn't feel I could benefit fighting with him. I felt safer going along with him."
Larue is standing by his claims that the sexual battery allegation was completely fabricated and he is innocent.
His attorney told Craig on Thursday night that investigators have that timeline wrong, and he said that DNA evidence doesn't mean anything.
Larue hasn't been fired, but he has been suspended without pay.
Leesburg police said they’re still waiting for the evidence before they finish an internal investigation.
Thursday night the victim told Craig, by text message, that she said she is pleased that the evidence released backs up her story. She said that the officer's "arrogant" words and actions built the case against him.
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