Updated at 9:15 a.m., Friday, April 12, 2002
Detective accused of rape, assault in lawsuit
By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer
A woman has filed a lawsuit against an HPD narcotics detective accusing him of raping her two years ago. Cynthia M. Chapman filed the complaint through her attorneys on Wednesday. Chapman said Detective John Shaw agreed to talk to her daughter about the bad effects of illegal drugs on April 12, 2000. Shaw picked her up while on duty at her house and drove her to the HPD’s garage plaza to switch vehicles, the complaint said. Soon after arriving at the garage, Shaw threw Chapman into a police van, then assaulted and raped her. Shaw threatened to harm anyone who spoke out against him, the complaint said. Shaw was HPD’s Detective of the Year in 2001 and is a 30-year veteran of the department. He plans to retire this month. The department has launched an internal investigation, police spokeswoman Michelle Yu said. Shaw is on sick leave, she said. Chapman’s attorney, Grant Kidani, said he didn’t think Shaw has been arrested, nor has he been charged in the case. Shaw’s attorney, Myles Breiner, said he had not recelved a copy of the lawsuit and could not comment on the allegations. He called the suit “an attempt to tarnish the image of an exceptional police officer and the Honolulu Police Department.“ Shaw said he had no comment on the case.
