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Peekskill Police Officer Michael Agovino, a Palisades resident, was charged on Saturday, Feb. 15, following an investigation alleging the 33-year-old committed multiple crimes while on duty and in police uniform, the criminal complaint states.
Agovino is charged with first-degree sexual abuse and second-degree burglary for alleged crimes committed between July 9 last year and Wednesday, Jan. 22, this year.
It is alleged that Agovino first met his victim in July last year to investigate a larceny "allegedly perpetrated by the victim," the complaint states. He met the woman that day, accused her of stealing money and demanded she take him to her apartment
Agovino allegedly then entered his victim’s home and sexually assaulted her, officials said. He went back to her apartment on multiple occasions over the summer, using the threat of an arrest to continually sexually abuse her. He also allegedly refused to allow her to take medication.
Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr.’s office also stated that during the investigation, an audio recording was captured in January, when Agovino allegedly returned to his victim’s apartment and subjected her to “unwanted sexual contact.”
Agovino has been placed on administrative leave.
The City of Peekskill Police Department responded with a statement following the allegations against Agovino.
“Police Officer Michael Agovino has been arrested and charged with several crimes alleged to have occurred while he was on duty. The City of Peekskill Police Department is fully cooperating with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office's investigation into these allegations. Officer Agovino has been placed on Administrative Leave until further notice.”
On Facebook, Peekskill Mayor Andre Rainey called Agovino’s arrest “an embarrassment to our police department and our entire city.”
This behavior makes me sick and is intolerable. It was completely inappropriate and clearly unprofessional. There is no situation where this type of behavior is acceptable,” he said. “We read and hear stories of police officers all over the world and we pray it never comes this close to our city and our community. This is a terrifying situation, beyond upsetting, especially with all the great news coming out of our city lately. In Peekskill, we expect our employees, in law enforcement especially, to maintain their professionalism and proper training at all times. We expect them to protect and respect, not take advantage of and intimidate.”
Rainey said that he will organize a community meeting to allow police officials to answer questions once the investigation concludes.
“As unfortunate as this is, I’m very optimistic this isn't a reflection of our police department, however, we will not tolerate this behavior at all. We’ve come too far and we will continue moving forward and deal with this situation accordingly if these allegations are true. This is a severe blow that will be resolved, justice will be given, and we will overcome.”
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