Star-Tribune Editorial Board

The settlement of a civil lawsuit against the city of Rawlins and a former police officer accused of sexual assault leaves us baffled why no criminal charges have been filed.

Stephanie Faber, who now lives in Florida, claims she was sexually assaulted several times by Lee Meacham when she was 15 to 17 years old. The first assault allegedly occurred in 1996 while she was riding in Meacham's patrol car during a citizens' police academy "ride along" program set up by the Rawlins Police Department.

Faber, an Iraq war veteran, is a victim of dissociative amnesia, a component of post-traumatic stress disorder. Memories of the assaults came flooding back to her when Faber, a paramedic, responded to a call to help a 4-year-old Florida girl who had been raped.

The city claimed the relationship between Meacham and Faber was consensual. But a minor can't give her consent to sexual intercourse. Meacham was an authority figure who was on duty as a police officer.

As part of the settlement, Faber received a total of $250,000 from the local government insurance pool and Wyoming state insurance pool on behalf of the defendants. In addition, the city of Rawlins has agreed to acknowledge that "preventable incidents or events" took place involving Stephanie Faber that resulted in the litigation. The city is also required to take steps to avoid the type of event or incident from happening again.

When the assaults were initially alleged in 2004, they were investigated by Pat Seals of the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. Seals recommended that Meacham be prosecuted, but Matt Redle, the Sheridan County attorney appointed as special prosecutor by the attorney general, declined to file charges.

As part of the investigation, Faber took a polygraph test that indicated she was telling the truth. Meacham, who has adamantly denied any sexual contact with Faber, declined to take a polygraph test. Such tests, however, are not admissible as evidence in court.

Meacham was allowed to continue his job with the police department until 2006, when the lieutenant retired for medical reasons. He is still certified as a Wyoming peace officer.

When the city of Rawlins settled the lawsuit and acknowledged that preventable incidents or events took place, it was tantamount to accepting Faber's claim that the sexual assaults occurred. Given that admission by his former employer, it's mystifying why Meacham has not been charged with crimes. There is no statute of limitations on sexual assaults in Wyoming.

In addition to prosecuting Meacham, the state of Wyoming should decertify him as a police officer. As Faber's attorney, Fred Harrison, noted, "It does a disservice to the many honorable peace officers that serve Wyoming people that Meacham can return to police work."

The city of Rawlins should also change its ride-along policy for minors to prevent such an incident from happening again. It's unbelievable that Faber was allowed to ride at night in a police vehicle, alone with a uniformed, armed male officer, beginning when she was only 14 years old.

Because no criminal charges were filed, Faber had to go through the civil courts to obtain the monetary settlement plus the admission by the city that the assaults took place. But there won't be justice for the victim until Meacham is prosecuted by the state.