78th Precinct Cop Pleads Not Guilty to Rape Charge, Released on Bail

On Thursday, the police officer from the 78th Precinct in Park Slope — who is accused of raping his ex-girlfriend while threatening her with a gun and a knife in a Staten Island parking lot — was released on bail after pleading not guilty, officials said.

According to Peter Spencer, a spokesman for the Richmond County District Attorney's office, a Staten Island judge released Arthur Roldan, who has been a cop for six years, on $20,000 bail.

The felony complaint against Roldan states that on July 31 at around 11 p.m., Roldan allegedly held a gun to the female victim’s head and then a knife to her face while he forcibly raped her in his car, which was parked in a Staten Island parking lot at Midland Beach, at the corner of Midland Avenue and Father Capodanno Blvd.

"Obviously, these are very disturbing allegations and we take them very seriously," Spencer said. "That is reflected by the fact that the defendant has been charged with a B felony, stripped of his service weapon and suspended without pay." 

The cop was off-duty at the time of the alleged attack.

Roldan was on charges of “rape, menacing and assault,” as Patch reported on Thursday. He was suspended without pay.

Request for comment from the NYPD was not returned.

Judge Mario Mattei told Roldan that he is not allowed to communicate with the victim. The judge also said that if he violates the order, his bail will be increased $200,000.   

"We feel the bail amount is sufficient to ensure he will appear at subsequent court dates, while it also gives us time to thoroughly investigate this incident and gather all of the facts and evidence before we present them to a grand jury,” Spencer told Patch on Friday.

Roldan is scheduled to be in court on September 26, 2012.