Nightmare Cop Told Rape Victim to Perform Nude Cat Fights, Lawsuit Says

A woman in South Carolina is suing the Horry County Police Department over claims that the detective assigned to investigate her rape case sexually harassed her, threatened her, and demanded that she participate in nude, videotaped "cat fights" with other women for his entertainment, according to a lawsuit filed last week.

The woman, identified as Jane Doe 2 in order to protect her identity, called 911 last May to report that she had been raped. Two detectives showed up at the scene. One of those detectives, Troy A. Large, a 27-year-veteran of the Horry County Police Department, got in touch with the woman a few days later. According to the lawsuit, he came to her house, told her that she was beautiful, and said that he could understand how the suspect in her rape case "could be turned on by her and unable to resist himself."

The rape case was closed with no arrest, but Large continued to harass the woman. She was trying to regain full custody of her children at the time, and Large offered to help. In exchange, "he later demanded that she engage in a nude 'cat fight'… as there was a group of men in the area who liked to watch women participate in nude, videotaped fist-fights." According to the suit, "he threatened to take personal action to ensure that [she] would not be permitted to visit her children" if she did not comply.

The harassment continued, the suit claims, with threats and unwanted sexual advances. On one occasion, according to the suit, Large was videotaped "engaging in inappropriate conduct," but the lawsuit does not give details on the conduct. Doe 2 reported him to the police, and he received a written reprimand. The suit claims that Large continued to harass Doe 2 until she reported him a second time, which finally prompted an investigation. Large was finally fired in March of this year.

Jane Doe 2 has that pseudonym for a reason: She is not the first woman to come forward with egregious allegations against Large. In December 2015, a woman, identified then as Jane Doe, filed a suit against the Horry County Police Department claiming that a "detective"—later revealed to be Large—had sexually harassed and assaulted her after he was assigned to investigate a rape which was carried out by an unknown assailant in 2013. Over the next six months, according her lawsuit, Large "engaged in a course of coercive behavior, unwanted sexual advances, and sexual assault." He visited her daily, according to her suit, and, on one occasion, sexually assaulted her inside a police vehicle. She was "unable to resist the unwanted sexual advances out of fear of retribution."

Attorney James Moore III is representing both women in their suits against the Horry Police Department. He says of the case, "Large has used his authority to prey upon these victims because he mistook their vulnerability as weakness." Moore adds, "For Jane Doe 2 to stand up to this man, and essentially the Horry County Police Department, takes an incredibly amount of bravery. Time and again, these victims have been ignored, and we are honored to assist these courageous women."

Moore claims that there is a third victim of Large who is ready to come forward with similar allegations. Moore intends to file her suit in the following weeks. Attorneys for Large did not respond to Broadly's request for comment.