Allegations made against Burbank police during City Council meeting ‘untrue,’ chief says
Burbank police are disputing allegations a woman made during a City Council meeting Tuesday about her daughter being raped and the department’s handling of the investigation, saying her statements were untrue.
Tawnya Nevarez spoke before the council during the public-comment period of the meeting, alleging the city and police department have done nothing to arrest two local high school students accused of raping her daughter last summer. Nevarez also alleged that a Burbank detective said her daughter “liked what she got.”
She said she was born and raised in Burbank but has been “pushed out” of the city because of the allegations and that her daughter has become suicidal.
“I just need help. No one wants to help us,” she said.
Her comments were widely shared on social media, leading the Burbank Police Department to issue a statement on Thursday contesting her allegations.
Chief Scott LaChasse said in the statement the department “conducted a thorough and timely investigation” into the rape claims from July 2017 and added that “the investigation and evidence refuted the allegations.” He said statements Nevarez attributed to police were “untrue.”
Sgt. Derek Green, a spokesman for Burbank police, said the department reviewed audio and video recordings made by officers during the investigation and found no disparaging remarks were ever made to Nevarez.
“We’ve tried to reach out to her, and she told us, basically, that she doesn’t want to speak to us,” Green said.
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
