Thursday, September 6, 2007

Highway Patrol trooper making sexual advances

A second female motorist is accusing a former Highway Patrol trooper of making sexual advances while he was on patrol in Orange County.

The trooper, Michael A. Steele Jr., 28, resigned Sunday after another woman complained that he forced her to kiss him during a traffic stop and threatened to kill her family.

Steele resigned to avoid dismissal, said patrol spokesman Lt. Everett Clendenin.

Both women are Hispanic and have hired the same attorney, Ebher Rossi of Burlington. He said that the second woman had complained to the Highway Patrol before the incident that led to Steele's resignation.

Clendenin said the patrol has no record of the other complaint.

"We only know of the one," Clendenin said.

Rossi said Steele pulled over the second woman on N.C. 54 in Carrboro on Aug. 16th and ordered her to leave her car. He then he drove her to another location and wanted to kiss her, Rossi said.

"The woman is making the same allegations," Rossi said.

The incident involving the second woman happened in the same area eight days before his other client said Steele harassed and threatened her, Rossi said.

He said SBI and FBI agents are looking into the traffic stops.

Staff writer Dan Kane can be reached at 919-829-4861 or dan.kane@newsobserver.com.

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