Former Norwich patrolman rejects plea offer in sexual assault case

Former Norwich patrolman Kenneth Nieves, charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl while on duty, turned down an offer to plead guilty in exchange for a one-year prison sentence, 10 years of probation and registration as a sex offender.

Nieves, 45, rejected the offer from prosecutor Theresa Anne Ferryman when he appeared Tuesday in New London Superior Court. He is free on $50,000 bond and has appeared in court 11 times since he was charged in December 2011 with three counts of second-degree sexual assault and three counts of risk of injury to a minor.

His case will be added to the trial list.

Nieves, who joined the police department in 2002, resigned in September 2011 after he was placed on administrative leave while police investigated allegations that he was having sex with girls and women while on duty. He was arrested in December after a woman came forward with specific information about the charges.

According to state police, Nieves began a four-year sexual relationship with a 14-year-old in 2003-04. The alleged victim, now 22, told state police he would come to her workplace while on duty and in uniform and have sex with her before driving her home in his cruiser.

— Karen Florin