3 Richmond police officers indicted

Three Richmond police officers indicted Thursday by a Madison County grand jury face felony counts accusing them of trying to intimidate or tamper with a female witness. One of the three was also indicted on a count of misdemeanor assault against the woman.

The indictment refers to but does not specify what happened "on or about Oct. 27, 2009 and continuing until January of 2010." But according to The Richmond Register newspaper, Sgt. James Rogers and officers Garry Murphy and Brian Hensley were indicted for events surrounding an Oct. 27 incident in which a woman initially accused the officers of sexually assaulting her.

The woman recanted the assault accusations when interviewed the next day by the Madison County sheriff's office, the paper reported.

None of the officersof the proof that we put on at trial."

The "intimidating a witness" count said Rogers "used threats directed" to the woman "to influence or attempt to influence her testimony." Likewise, the complicity counts against Murphy and Hensley say they "aided and assisted Rogers" in that conduct.

The "tampering with a witness" count said Rogers, "knowing that the woman might be called as a witness in an official proceeding ... knowingly made false statements and practiced acts of fraud and deceit with intent to influence her testimony." Likewise, the complicity counts against Murphy and Hensley say they "aided and assisted" Rogers in that conduct.

Murphy also was indicted on a charge of fourth-degree assault for "intentionally causing physical injury" to the woman by "allegedly hitting or smacking her." That is a