Teenager Raped, Impregnated By Police Officer Seeks Damages From City, Police Chief

In what could be termed as bizzaire, a girl and her mother filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday, against a whole city near Charlotte, North Carolina, accusing a police officer James Paul Blair of raping and impregnating the girl, while on duty.

The incident took place when Blair was a law enforcement mentor, asigned to work with children, the lawsuit said, adding that the officer also had sexual contact with multiple female minors prior to 2015.

However, an attorney appearing for the city and the police chief said, his clients would deny any liability for Blair’s actions.

The act of rape caused her to deliver a baby boy, according to the lawsuit filed. The claim said, the Lowell police officer committed statutory rape because the minor couldn’t legally consent to sex. In 2017, Blair pleaded guilty to charges of statutory rape and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. The 53-year-old is now being held in Pamlico Correctional Institution and is scheduled for release in 2029.

According to the federal lawsuit, Blair visited the girl’s home and provided her with candy and other food before taking her for rides in his police cruiser. The girl was just 13 years old when Blair had sex with her, while on duty following which she got pregnant. In 2017, the girl delivered a baby boy, the lawsuit alleges. Blair was arrested in September 2016, after the pregnancy was discovered. DNA tests at the time revealed Blair, to be the baby’s father.

The family continues to hold both the city and police chief liable for his [Blair's] unprofessional conduct, because they negligently hired him.

“The biggest issue here is that Blair had a long and well-known history of engaging in this kind of behavior, and the city of Lowell knew about it,” said attorney Brad Smith, whose firm filed the complaint. “What happened to this child is tragic and horrible. Presumably, it could have been prevented.”

The victim and her mother are seeking medical expenses, as well as punitive and compensatory damages, claiming that the teenage victim was deprived “of her right to freedom from unlawful assault, battery and sexual contact at the hands of police.”

In an interview with the Charlotte Observer on Thursday, Lowell city attorney Scott MacLatchie said that police and city leaders did not know of a pattern of professional misbehavior by Blair.

“It’s very unfortunate what happened to this girl and her family,” MacLatchie said. “It is my position that the person responsible is in prison right now, The city of Lowell is in no way responsible for what this man did, off duty and on his own time.”