A St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officer has been accused of harassing and assaulting a woman with whom he had a child.
Prosecutors filed four felony and two misdemeanor charges against Terrence Ruffin, 33, on Monday. They stem from multiple incidents in March and July and are the result of an Internal Affairs investigation.
Court documents say that in March, Ruffin tracked the unidentified woman to a restaurant on Washington Avenue after she had not returned his calls. When the woman tried to run away, Ruffin grabbed her by her pants and swung her back and forth. She was able to escape and drove off, but Ruffin followed her, records say, driving close to her vehicle and trying to call her.
In July, Ruffin is accused of accessing police department databases to learn information about a man who had stayed at the woman’s house overnight. The internal review determined Ruffin was not conducting a law enforcement investigation. The following day, Ruffin is accused of entering the woman’s home in the Tower Grove East neighborhood without her permission and refusing to leave when asked. Court documents say he was armed with his department-issued pistol, though he did not take it from his holster or display it.
The woman told police the incidents left her emotionally distressed.
A judge has ordered Ruffin held without bond. He did not have an attorney listed in court records, and the St. Louis Police Officers Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A department spokesman said in a statement that it would not comment on specific personnel matters, including Ruffin’s current employment status.
“SLMPD holds all officers to the highest of standards. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken if an officer is found to have violated policy,” the statement added.
