Ex-Kokomo officer gets 40 years for assault of 14-year-old

Sinmi Asomuyide will spend the next four decades in federal prison for the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. Chief U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II handed down the 40-year sentence on Thursday. The judge also ordered Asomuyide to serve three years of supervised release upon his release from prison.

A federal jury in Indianapolis returned guilty verdicts in June 2026. The five-day trial concluded with convictions for depriving the victim of her civil rights, witness tampering, and destroying records. Asomuyide, 33, served as a patrol officer for the Kokomo Police Department at the time of the offense.

Court records indicate the victim first encountered Asomuyide on June 30, 2024. Her father had reported her missing earlier that day. Asomuyide and a partner located her at the home of another underage girl. Asomuyide transported her to the Kinsey Youth Center. Inside the facility's sallyport garage, he turned off his body camera, violating department policy. He also confiscated her cellphone and used it to call his personal TextNow number.

Asomuyide took the girl to a side room after finding a vape pen during a pat-down search. He told her he would contact her later to return the item. A family friend picked the girl up from the youth center that evening. She texted Asomuyide her social media username as she left. They continued messaging while he finished his shift. Asomuyide returned to the police station and claimed he needed overtime from 10 p.m. to midnight for paperwork.

Instead of staying, he drove to the family friend's apartment. Wearing his uniform, he requested a private conversation to determine the girl's housing arrangement. He handcuffed her in the back of his squad car and drove to an empty warehouse parking lot. GPS data from the vehicle confirmed the route. He moved her to the front seat and sexually assaulted her. He then handcuffed her again and drove her back to the apartment complex.

The girl reported the incident to family members and law enforcement. Indiana State Police launched an investigation. A forensic examination of Asomuyide's patrol vehicle revealed a dried semen stain on the center console that matched his DNA. Detectives interviewed Asomuyide about a week later. He falsely claimed the girl had overheard his phone number and contacted him on a work phone, despite officers not being issued work phones. Phone records showed he searched for instructions on deleting his TextNow account within hours of the assault.

Asomuyide previously worked for the Portsmouth Police Department in Virginia. He resigned after an allegation involving sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old. He told Kokomo officials he left because he was "hanging out" with a 17-year-old who claimed to be 19. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stated that the Department of Justice takes civil rights abuses seriously. U.S. Attorney Tom Wheeler noted that Asomuyide exploited his badge and authority. FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O'Malley emphasized that those entrusted with protecting children must not victimize them.

The FBI's Indianapolis Division and Indiana State Police jointly investigated the case. Capt. Ron Galaviz, the chief public information officer for Indiana State Police, said the agency remains committed to holding abusers accountable.