SOUTHLAND : Ex-Officer Jailed in Child’s Rape

A suspect in the rape of an 11-year-old Irvine girl has been identified as a fired Beverly Hills police officer who may have used his police training to stalk his victim and gain entry into her home when she was alone, prosecutors said today.

Steven Rush McCoy, 36, is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail in the Orange County Jail on six felony counts that include rape, sexual assault and burglary, authorities said. He will be arraigned April 6.

The girl was at home alone when McCoy, posing as a deliveryman, persuaded her to open the door, police said. Investigators said the girl called 911 after the attack and later picked McCoy out of a photo lineup.

In executing a search warrant against McCoy and arresting him just hours after the Monday afternoon attack, police said they found physical evidence that connects the rape directly to McCoy, who worked for the Beverly Hills department for two years until he was fired in 1978 for unspecified reasons.