By St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis – A former police officer in Uplands Park, a North County suburb with 460 residents, has pleaded guilty to civil rights violations for sexually assaulting and stealing money from several women.
Leon Pullen admitted Wednesday that at least four times between February and July 2009, he responded to online ads from women offering prostitution services and then sexually assaulted them, including once while he was on duty and in full uniform. That victim was assaulted at the Uplands Park police station. Another victim told the FBI she was afraid to report her assault to authorities because Pullen was a police officer.
When Pullen, a 32-year-old native of Foley, Mo., a small city north of St. Louis, was arrested in September 2009, he denied taking money from his victims and engaging in sexual activity while on duty. He pleaded guilty on Wednesday to nine federal counts, some of which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Pullen will be sentenced in October.