Reserve Pine Lawn officer charged with raping Lindenwood University student at apartment in St. Charles

ST. CHARLES A reserve officer with the Pine Lawn Police Department has been charged with raping his former girlfriend at an apartment in St. Charles in May.

Rico L. Frazier, 23, of the 5900 block of San Simeon Drive in south St. Louis County, was charged Thursday with burglary, rape, felonious restraint and two counts of sodomy.

The woman, 22, a student at Lindenwood University, reported the attack just before 4 a.m. on May 1. It happened about two miles from campus at the Time Centre Apartments, 901 Time Centre Drive. The woman was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Frazier had been a volunteer reserve police officer with the Pine Lawn Police Department for three months at the time of the assault. He graduated from the Eastern Missouri Police Academy in November 2013.

Pine Lawn Police Lt. Steven Blakeny said Frazier was with the department as a reserve until the end of June when he told officers he was taking a paying job with another department. It could not be determined Thursday whether another department hired him. Blakeny said Frazier did not volunteer with the department after the attack.

This kid on paper appeared to be stellar, he said. He was one of the standout students at the academy.

Frazier and the woman dated until October 2013, St. Charles County Prosecutor Tim Lohmar said and remained friends afterward. The two had spoken as recently as the day before the assault, and the conversation had been cordial, he said.

Police gave this account of the attack:

Frazier smashed in the sliding glass door of the womans apartment about 3 a.m., while she was sleeping. Frazier then sprayed her in the face with law enforcement-grade pepper spray, temporarily blinding her.

He tackled the woman and repeatedly beat her face into the floor as he pulled her hair. The woman fought back and was able to rip a necklace off Frazier, but he overpowered her and raped her.

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Reserve Pine Lawn officer charged with raping Lindenwood University student at apartment in St. Charles