More than five years after he was charged with sexually assaulting a Northern Illinois University freshman — an incident whose fallout caused a shakeup of the school’s police department — a former campus police officer is headed for trial in DeKalb County.
A jury was selected Monday in the trial of Andrew Rifkin, 28, in the 2011 alleged assault of a woman he was dating. Opening statements are scheduled to be given Tuesday morning in the Sycamore courtroom of Judge William Brady.
The trial is expected to last most of the week.
Rifkin was charged after the woman went to his campus superiors in October 2011 and alleged that he had assaulted her about two weeks previously. Rifkin, who at the time was a rookie officer, has said that the alleged incident took place during what had been a consensual sexual encounter at his apartment.
The case roiled NIU’s police department when it was asserted that Rifkin’s superiors withheld evidence from his defense and statements from the alleged victim’s friends that were favorable to Rifkin. His relationship with a student violated department policy, and his bosses wanted him discharged.
A DeKalb County judge ruled that the statements were willfully withheld. That prompted a raid by federal officials on the campus police department and the removal of the department’s chief.
The disclosure of the evidence violation prompted DeKalb County prosecutors to drop the charges. However, following his election as chief prosecutor in 2012, Richard Schmack opted to recharge Rifkin. Schmack, though, won’t oversee the trial; he lost his re-election bid in November to Rick Amato, who was sworn in as state’s attorney this month.
Rifkin’s attorney, Bruce Brandwein, has made attempts to have the case dismissed at the pretrial stage, citing what he said were other irregularities with the evidence. However, DeKalb County judges — at least four have had the case before them — have opted to allow the prosecution to move forward.
Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter.
