June 23, 2007, 12:05AM

HPD officer accused of sexual assault is taken off duty

By LINDSAY WISE

Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

A veteran police officer — accused of sexually assaulting a woman during a traffic stop —has been relieved of duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation by Houston Police Department.

Officer Eric M. Dargin, 47, was charged Wednesday with sexual assault and improper sexual activity with a person in custody.

Dargin, a 24-year veteran, has been suspended with pay since the May 17 incident. That's when a 25-year-old woman alleged the officer pulled her over about 2:30 a.m. in the 900 block of Laurel Springs Lane and sexually assaulted her, said Harris County Assistant District Attorney Joe Owmby.

Owmby said Dargin, who is assigned to the Kingwood Patrol Division, was on duty and dressed in uniform at the time.

In addition to the woman identifying the officer as her attacker, DNA evidence also links Dargin to the alleged assault, court documents show.

The charges against Dargin resulted from an ongoing criminal investigation conducted by the Houston Police Department's Internal Affairs Division, Assistant Chief Michael Dirden said.

Dirden acknowledged that such allegations against a police officer could erode the public's trust in Houston's law enforcement community, but he said charges against one person should not affect people's perception of the department as a whole. "This is an unusual event," he said.

lindsay.wise@chron.com