Former St. Louis officer acquitted of raping colleagues

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A former St. Louis police officer was acquitted in a rape case filed after two colleagues said they were assaulted more than a decade ago. Jurors took just 90 minutes Friday to find 40-year-old Lafeal Lawshea not guilty. Two women alleged Lawshea gave them drinks in 2009 and 2010 that caused them to black out. One woman said Lawshea’s friend assaulted her while she was unconscious and another said she woke up to find Lawshea pinning her down. Lawshea testified the encounters were consensual. His attorney argued one woman made the rape claim to make money from a lawsuit against the department and the other was embarrassed that she had sex with a Black man.