Detroit-area police chief says sexual assault suit baseless

PLEASANT RIDGE, Mich. (AP) - A suburban Detroit police chief is denying allegations that he sexually assaulted a teenager decades ago when he was a young officer in another city.

Pleasant Ridge Chief Kevin Nowak says the allegations are false, and he predicts the case will be dismissed. He's one of eight people sued by a woman who says she was sexually assaulted in 1990 while participating in a police ride-along program in Garden City.

The lawsuit was filed a year ago in Detroit federal court and claims civil rights violations.

The woman's attorney is Lyle Dickson, and he tells The Oakland Press (http://bit.ly/1www0Zs ) that his client waited years to take legal action because of mental and emotional distress. Separately, no criminal charges have been filed.