O.C. Officer Accused of Sex Assault Leaves Job

An Irvine police officer accused of sexually assaulting a woman during a traffic stop no longer works for the department, police said Wednesday.

The internal investigation of Officer David Park was completed Tuesday, said chief David L. Maggard, who would not elaborate on the departure.

“It’s important for our community to know that we take seriously any conduct by any of our members that detracts from our good reputation,” he said.

The Irvine Police Department suspended Park on Jan. 13 and launched its own internal investigation after the district attorney notified police about its criminal investigation into Park.

Park, a three-year veteran, has been accused of threatening a 32-year-old woman with arrest if she refused to fondle him during a Dec. 14 traffic stop in Laguna Canyon. He also is accused of fondling and sexually assaulting her. The woman filed a $10-million complaint against the city Feb. 9.

The woman says the incident happened shortly after she left a Lake Forest adult nightclub, where she works part-time as a dancer. Her license had been suspended for failing to finish a class related to a DUI case.

Park had pulled her over in July near the nightclub and made an unwanted sexual advance, the complaint said.

The Orange County district attorney’s office is continuing to investigate the case and is looking for other potential victims, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Susan Kang Schroeder.