Accused Seattle Officer Answers "Made Up" Allegations

A veteran Seattle police officer accused of sexually harassing an 18-year-old police Explorer and lying about it has said he thinks top-level commanders trumped up the case to retaliate for challenging them and defending female officers who had been discriminated against, SeattlePI.com has reported.

The officer had been suspended from active duty.

Rob Mahoney, 46, a defensive-tactics instructor at the department's training center, said that his accuser, Heather Newstrom, was flirtatious and liked to hang around after training classes to talk to officers. He didn't deny giving her a peck on the cheek after she kissed him on the cheek and hugged him goodbye while the two were in an office after class on April 7, 2008. But, he said, that's as far as it went before he got a phone call and left.

"The allegation that I kissed her on the mouth and put my tongue in her mouth is made up," Mahoney said during Tuesday's hearing before the Public Safety Civil Service Commission.

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