Indiana reserve officer accused of rape, human trafficking

MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) - A longtime reserve officer with a central Indiana police department who is accused of sexually and physically assaulting a juvenile girl and coercing her into having sex with other men faces preliminary charges of rape, human trafficking and battery.

The Fishers Police Department was notified by the Indiana Department of Child Services about a "juvenile suffering from various injuries" and searched a home on Saturday, according to a news release. Officers discovered that the homeowner, Lonny Jordan Hatland, who was arrested, was a reserve officer with the Muncie Police Department.

According to the release, the girl told detectives that the man, later identified as Hatland, had sexually assaulted her and coerced her into having sex with other men over the past few months. The release did not detail her injuries and Fishers Police Sgt. Thomas Weger declined to elaborate on the release.

Hatland, 42, was in the Hamilton County Jail on Sunday and his bond was set at $52,500. It was not immediately known whether he had an attorney.

Upon learning of the arrest, Muncie Police Chief Steve Stewart removed Hatland, a reserve officer with the force for nearly 20 years, from the unit.

The arrest comes after a recent Associated Press report that detailed the problem of rape and sexual misconduct committed by law enforcement officers, which found that about 1,000 cops, jail guards, deputies and others lost their licenses from 2009 through 2014 for such incidents.