DENVER — The Denver police officer who was arrested last week as part of a sex scandal involving two women spoke out Tuesday and claimed he is the victim.
Davin Munk was initially facing multiple counts of felony sexual assault and one count of felony menacing that involved a weapon.
The woman who accused him contacted an outside police agency, who then got a hold of the Denver Police Department. There was enough evidence initially for Munk to be arrested.
He spent 72 hours in jail before police released him and told him the charges wouldn’t be filed. Munk was cleared of the crime after new evidence revealed what he said all along: He was innocent.
Munk reached out to FOX31 Denver to share his side of the story.
Reporter Kevin Torres: Did you have any clue at all what was happening?
Munk: Yeah, I had an idea.
Torres: Why did you have an idea?
Munk: The person who brought all this up … she had mentioned she might do something like this.
Torres: Did you think she would?
Munk: I didn’t think so.
Munk admits he and a female friend met with his accuser one night last month. He also admits they hooked up through an adult web app. The intent from the get=go, Munk said, was to have sex. According to Munk, all three agreed in advance to the rules and boundaries of the night.
Munk: We even told [the accuser] “No means no,” period. And that’s something I absolutely believe in 100 percent.
Torres: Did she ever … did she ever get to the point where she expressed any discomfort or felt awkward about the situation?
Munk: Nothing that I perceived.
After the encounter, the woman was angry, Munk claims, because he refused a sexual request from her. He said the woman threatened to go to police to accuse him of sexually assaulting her and using his service weapon. She eventually did.
Torres: You showed her your gun? You brought it out and showed her?
Munk: Yes. It was never during any sexual act, it was beforehand. I was actually showing her gun safety.
Torres: There are going to be a lot of people watching that say, “We don’t buy it, it’s not just a safety thing — that it was probably more of a power trip.” What would your response be to that?
Munk: Absolutely not. It was … It’s never about power.
While police have dropped the criminal charges Munk was facing, they have launched an internal investigation into whether he abused his power that night and broke department policies.
Torres: Everybody has their own personal life. You have your own personal life, I have my own personal life, the folks watching at home, they have their own personal lives. But … you are a police officer. So the fact your image is put out there, now associated with … with exploring a different sexual realm, which most people aren’t going to be accustomed to, that leads to an accusation like this, how do you suppose that’s going to play a role in determining your future with Denver police?
Munk: You know, I would like to think that it doesn’t because I wasn’t acting as a police officer.
Torres: Do you feel Denver police handled your case appropriately? Did they do a good job?
Munk: You know, I think it could have been done better. Absolutely. Because I was innocent.
Munk said he could have proved his innocence early on by showing investigators text messages from his accuser, but he claims police wouldn’t let him.
“I don’t know if it’s a matter of trying to keep the integrity of the investigation or what,” Munk said.
Munk admits his integrity might come in question by some, but he adds he’s entitled to his personal life, behind closed doors.
“My personal life isn’t my professional life,” he said. “They are different worlds.”
Munk has been in trouble with the department a few other times before. He was suspended for lying on a report and was also disciplined for damaging police property.
He’s on paid leave while the internal affairs investigation continues. That investigation will ultimately determine whether Munk gets to keep his job.
If Denver police decide to keep him, he said he would consider staying. He said he’s not upset with Denver police for arresting him; he just wishes they would have allowed him to prove his innocence earlier.
Munk said police treated him with respect during his arrest and he’s grateful for the hard work the investigators did in finding the evidence that proved his innocence.