Judge Dismisses Rape Charges Against Officer

A Los Angeles Municipal Court judge on Thursday dismissed all charges against a police officer who had been accused of raping a woman last May in Pasadena, saying the woman told different stories about the incident.

Judge Elva Soper dismissed the case against 29-year-old Mark Mireles of Pasadena, describing testimony by the alleged victim at a preliminary hearing as marred by memory lapses and inconsistent statements.

“I thought the dismissal was the only appropriate action the judge could have taken based on the facts that were presented in court,” defense attorney Darryl Mounger said. “She was interviewed by two different sets of investigators from two different agencies on the same day and gave two different stories.” The woman was interviewed by Pasadena and Los Angeles police.

Mireles, a six-year police veteran assigned to the Foothill Division and a father of three, faced four felony counts. The counts alleged that he attacked the woman, who once was a baby-sitter for Mireles’ children, in a secluded area behind a billiards parlor in Pasadena’s Old Town in the early morning of May 18.

The judge said that the woman’s statements and testimony did not add up.

The prosecutor in the case, Deputy Dist. Atty. Bryant Bushling, did not return phone calls seeking comment.