A longtime Travis County Sheriff’s deputy is facing a criminal charge and has been pulled off duty after Cedar Park police say he sexually harassed a woman in a convenience store parking lot late last year. According to court paperwork, the woman told officers she felt violated, harassed, and afraid to leave because the deputy was in uniform and carrying a gun. The arrest set off an internal affairs review and a criminal investigation by Cedar Park police.
According to KXAN, the deputy is identified in arrest records as Dennis Mallinger. He was arrested in February on a charge of official oppression and placed on administrative leave by the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. The charge is a Class A misdemeanor, and the Travis County District Attorney’s public integrity unit has been assigned to the case, the station reports.
Records from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement show Mallinger holds a master peace officer license and has worked in law enforcement since 1994. The records list more than 25 years with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, along with earlier service at the Walker County Sheriff’s Office, two Bastrop County constable offices, and the Austin City Marshal’s Office.
Allegations In The Arrest Affidavit
An arrest affidavit reviewed by KXAN describes an encounter in a QuikTrip parking lot on Whitestone Boulevard. The woman told investigators that Mallinger boxed her in her car with his vehicle, wrapped his arms around her, and ran his hands over her body on the outside of her clothing. She reported feeling “violated, harassed, terrified, and afraid to leave” because Mallinger was in uniform and armed. Investigators say surveillance video appears to support her account, and the affidavit was signed on Feb. 20. Mallinger’s defense attorney, Elizabeth Resendez, told KXAN the charge “has no basis in reality.”…