Brady Silver reports:

The Scott County Attorney's Office has filed a criminal complaint against Jordan's 2006 police officer of the year, Corey Pudwill, who the city council fired last fall.

Pudwill, a Belle Plaine resident, is charged with one count of fourth-degree and one count of fifth-degree criminal sex conduct for initiating "nonconsensual sexual contact during a traffic stop," according to a press release from the Jordan Police Department. The fourth-degree charge relates to an allegation of coersion, while the fifth-degree charge allegedly involves sex misconduct without the removal of clothing.

Pudwill “categorically denies the allegation,” Paul Engh, Pudwill’s attorney for the criminal case, told the Jordan Independent in a statement and during a phone interview this week.

According to the complaint filed in Scott County, this is what happened:

At 4 a.m. Aug. 20, a 19-year-old woman was leaving Mystic Lake Casino. She was headed towards her home in Le Sueur and had turned from a back road onto Highway 169 when a police car stopped her. The officer, Pudwill, told her the muffler on her car was sparking, she alleged.

The woman did not have a driver's license, only a valid instruction permit.

Pudwill asked the woman if she'd been drinking, issued a breath test, searched her, and moved her into the backseat of the squad car, according to the complaint.

Pudwill told the woman her car would be towed and she would get a ticket for driving without a license, the complaint said. He told her it would cost about $450 and asked if she could afford it, she alleged.

When she said she couldn't, he responded, "Well, what can we do about it?" she alleged.

She said she didn't know, according to the complaint.

They were pulled far over on the side of the road, the woman said.

Pudwill asked her if she wanted to go somewhere for a few minutes before she headed home, the woman alleged. She didn't answer that question. She instead asked if he was taking her to jail, according to the complaint.

Pudwill then repeated that he needed to know what she thought they could do if she couldn't afford the cost of the tow and ticket, the woman said.

Then, Pudwill touched the bra under her sweater, the woman alleged.

The woman then pulled her shirt down and asked the officer to give her a citation and take her to jail, according to the complaint.

Pudwill released the woman without a citation and allegedly told her she should get a driver's license and pretend that he never pulled her over, the woman told police.

After the incident, the woman immediately drove to her ex-boyfriend's house in Le Sueur. She told him and his sister what Pudwill allegedly did. She reported the alleged incident to the Le Sueur and Jordan police departments.

"If true, the officer's conduct is inexcusable and can only be described as a serious breach of public trust," Police Chief Bob Malz said about Pudwill.

Investigators learned that the video camera in Pudwill's police car had either not been activated or that the incident had been deleted after recording.

According to the complaint, Pudwill told the investigators that he had been having problems with the camera.

Engh, Pudwill’s attorney, said that his client told investigators that the camera itself was on but that the incident in question was not recorded because the tape was already completely full. The lawyer said this week that the tapes in Jordan squad cars’ cameras routinely fill up.

“We’re saying that happened a lot,” Engh said.

Pudwill was able to make and keep the video recordings of each of his next four traffic stops, which occurred after his encounter with the woman on the same date, according to the complaint.

Engh also pointed out, the camera would not have filmed the backseat of the squad car, where the incident allegedly occurred.

In Jordan's press release, Malz declined to speculate on the guilt or innocence of Pudwill and said that the officer is entitled to due process in the courts.

Pudwill has made thousands of stops and arrests without incident and has won commendations and awards for his work. His “exemplary record” calls into question the allegations, Engh said.

The court complaint omits reference to the fact that Pudwill provided a detailed statement to law enforcement officials, denying the conduct alleged, Engh said.

Pudwill failed Shakopee’s lie detector test, Engh said, but he passed an independent lie detector test. The test results were sent to the Shakopee Police Department, Engh said.

After the alleged incident, the Jordan police referred the victim's complaint to the Shakopee police to avoid any potential conflict of interest. Pudwill was notified he would be on paid administrative leave while Shakopee police conducted an internal investigation.

The complaint against Pudwill was filed in Scott County, but Carver County is prosecuting him. He is scheduled to appear in district court this month.

The city council fired Pudwill after a closed meeting in October. City officials said he violated city policy related to a complaint filed against him, but they wouldn't comment on the details or announce the name of the employee it terminated, citing a data privacy law that protects information about employee disciplinary actions.

Pudwill filed an arbitration case that is ongoing. There has been no progress in the arbitration case, City Administrator Ed Shukle said. Mary Lee Abrams, his union lawyer, did not immediately return recent phone calls seeking comment and has previously declined to comment on the case.

Pudwill started working for the Jordan police in April 2003 and has been reprimanded before. In 2004, Pudwill was given a three-day suspension by the Jordan police for executing an arrest warrant outside of legal hours. He then tried to hide his actions from the police department administration, according to the press release.

Pudwill has received numerous other awards in his career. He received a National Highway Traffic Safety Achievement Award in June 2005 and three certificates of commendation for outstanding service. Pudwill also was recognized for being the police department's most prolific ticket writer.

Brady Silver is an intern for the Jordan Independent. He can be reached at silv0154@umn.edu. Mathias Baden contributed to this report.