NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Newport News police officer Raheem Askew, who was charged with raping a drunk woman at a hotel room while he was on duty, is now facing federal charges after state charges were nolle prossed, court records show.
Court documents outline on the night of March 14, 2026, Askew responded to a call related to an unresponsive woman in a parking lot along J. Clyde Morris Boulevard in Newport News.
When Askew and another unnamed officer arrived, they learned the woman — an Australian woman in the U.S. due to her work with the Australian Defense Force, according to the affidavit — was staying at the Country Inn & Suites just up the road.
Askew turned off his body camera and did not tell dispatch he was taking the woman back to her hotel, where he's alleged to have raped her while still in his police uniform, according to the documents.
Watch previous coverage: Newport News police officer accused of raping drunk woman at hotel while on duty
Video footage from the hotel shows Askew, who was wearing his uniform throughout the incident, leaving woman's hotel room just after 11 p.m.; the woman was seen leaving the room five minutes later naked from the waist down, according to the documents.
In an interview conducted by another NNPD officer, Askew admitted to having sex with the woman, the documents state. The woman told officials she did not give consent to having sex with Askew and does not remember it happening.
“The conduct described in these allegations is inconsistent with the values and professional standards of the Newport News Police Department,” Police Chief Steve Drew said previously. “Integrity, accountability, and commitment to the community are fundamental to this organization and to the work of policing.”
Askew was charged with felony rape and fired from the department, but court documents show his charges were nolle prossed on June 30, where a prosecutor voluntarily chooses to stop pursuing a criminal case before trial.
Askew is now facing federal charges of "deprivation of rights under color of law," which means he's accused of using his position as a police officer to deprive someone of their rights.
Askew has been in federal custody since July 1.
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