A former Huntington police officer wants a judge to dismiss a federal lawsuit alleging that he sexually assaulted two women after they left a nightclub.
In his response to the lawsuit, Joshua Nield denied most of the claims made by the woman, who sued his in March of this year over the 2015 incident. Nield did acknowledge that the women were passengers in his vehicle on March 14, 2015, the date of the alleged incident.
The women, who are identified only by their initials in the lawsuit, claim Nield subjected them to assault, false arrest and imprisonment.
Nield was assigned to patrol the area around the Stonewall nightclub in Huntington, according to the lawsuit. The women say that as they walked into the club, Nield shouted, "Alcohol is always the answer!"
When the woman left the club, they claim, Nield followed them in his police cruiser as they went to a nearby McDonald's. He turned on his police lights and stopped them there, the women claim, and threatened them with arrest on DUI charges unless they followed him in their car to a Captain D's restaurant.
Once there, the women say, Nield approached their car and said they would have to "do stuff" to avoid arrest. He instructed them to get out of the car and do the Macarena and the "little teapot" dance. "That's the sexiest little teapot I've ever seen," the officer allegedly said to one woman.
He then allegedly handcuffed the women while rubbing his genitals against them, and asked them, "How does it feel to be completely and utterly restrained?" according to the lawsuit.
After telling the women to get into the front seat of his cruiser, Nield allegedly drove around Huntington at high speeds, running red lights. He stopped twice to fondle the women's breasts, try to kiss them, according to the lawsuit. The women claim that the officer removed one woman's underwear and penetrated her vagina with his hands and fingers.
After that, the lawsuit alleges, Nield drove the women around for 15 more minutes before returning them to their car. He allegedly made one of them kiss him before he let them go.
Nield also faces a federal lawsuit over the death of Annie Earle, a 66-year-old woman who died in January 2014. Her family claims that Nield used excessive force to subdue Earle.
Both lawsuits are being handled by U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers.
The women who allege Nield assaulted them also named the city of Huntington as a defendant, claiming the city was "put on notice" about problems with Nield before he assaulted them. Lawyers for the city have also asked that the women's lawsuit against the city be dismissed.
Reach Kayla Asbury at kayla.asbury@wvgazettemail.com, call 304-348-3051 or follow @kasbury_ on Twitter.