Updated: Transylvania University police officer suspended after rape indictment
A Transylvania University police officer has been charged with rape after an investigation which started prior to his time as a cop at the Lexington university, according to Kentucky State Police.
Dustin Watkins, a 31year-old Whitley City resident, has been charged with first-degree rape, state police announced Wednesday. Watkins has been suspended without pay while his case is handled in court, according to Megan Moloney, the university’s vice president for marketing and communications.
Watkins’ status as a sworn police officer with the university’s Department of Public Safety has also been suspended, Moloney said.
“While our legal system presumes that every person accused of a crime is considered innocent until proven guilty, the university must also act in the best interests of its community,” university officials said in a statement sent to the campus community.
The alleged rape occurred in McCreary County in 2020. Watkins was a deputy sheriff in the county at the time, state police said.
McCreary County Sheriff Randy Waters said Watkins worked for him for about a year before he got shot answering a call and went on worker’s compensation.
Waters said he learned of the allegation against Watkins when he answered a call about two girls wanting to talk to a police officer. Waters declined to disclose what the girls said, but said he quickly decided to put them in contact with state police because the matter involved a former employee.
“I wanted to do what’s right,” Waters said.
Watkins was hired by Transylvania in November 2021, according to the university. He cleared a routine background investigation as well as an additional extensive vetting process managed by the Kentucky Justice Cabinet prior to his employment.
Only publicly available civil and criminal information and contacts are reviewed during pre-employment screenings, according to the university.
Transylvania officials said they haven’t had any disciplinary issues with Watkins since he was hired in November.
A Transylvania spokesperson said appropriate university officials will conduct a thorough review of the employment screening process.
Watkins was spotted and arrested Wednesday in Lexington, state police said
A McCreary County grand jury indicted him after a trooper presented the findings of a 2020 investigation, state police said. He was taken to the Whitley County Detention Center Wednesday and was still detained there Thursday morning, according to jail records.
State police said Wednesday that Watkins currently serves as an officer at Transylvania.
“Both the Transylvania Police Department and the McCreary County Sheriff’s Department have been cooperative throughout the investigation,” state police said in a news release.
This story was originally published March 3, 2022 at 7:24 AM.
