BELLAIRE — The Bellaire Police Department officer accused of forcing a woman to perform sex acts on him in exchange for not getting arrested has not been fired from his position.

According to Police Chief Dick Flanagan and Village Solicitor Michael Shaheen, Officer Gene Grim, aka Gene Grimm, has instead been placed on unpaid leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation and federal court proceedings. The Sunday edition of The Times Leader incorrectly reported that Grim had been fired. The error resulted from miscommunication with Shaheen.

The village of Bellaire and the Bellaire Police Department also are named as defendants in the case.

According to a copy of the complaint filed June 8 in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio, in February Grim allegedly approached the woman after noticing her car alarm going off. He reportedly advised the woman — against her objection — that he was going to search her vehicle because of her past criminal record.

The Times Leader is withholding the alleged victim’s name because of the sexual nature of the complaint.

According to the complaint, Grim then dumped out the woman’s purse and a crack pipe fell out of it. Grim allegedly told the woman she would not be arrested and jailed for having the pipe if she would perform a sexual favor for him.

Although she did not want to do the sex act, the complaint states, she also did not want to go jail and gave in to his demand.

“On at least four occasions after the first sexual encounter, defendant Grim would locate the plaintiff while on duty and demand sex, letting the plaintiff know that he could and would bring plaintiff up on ‘crack pipe’ charges, if plaintiff failed to give into his demands,” according to the complaint.

The complaint notes the woman, thinking no one would believe her, made recordings of Grim and also took a photo of him pumping her gas, and at times while he was dressed in his Bellaire police uniform, badge and gun. The complaint also alleges the woman discovered that Grim allegedly conducted this type of behavior with other women.

“She decided to take some type of legal action, especially upon learning that the defendant (village) of Bellaire and its defendant Bellaire Police Department were aware of various aspects of Grim’s nefarious conduct and chose not to do anything about what amounted to excessive force and rape, but not limited to,” the complaint states.

Shaheen said Friday that the village was not aware of Grim’s alleged actions prior to the federal complaint being filed.

The complaint also states the village’s policies and practices are unconstitutional on the part of Grim, and resulted in the behavior against the woman. It claims the village is liable for her mental and emotional injuries. The complaint alleges Grim violated the woman’s Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure, her due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment, and caused injuries.

The complaint asks the court to award the woman compensatory damages against Grim and the village, plus related court costs and costs of the action.

Shaheen said Thursday following Bellaire Village Council’s regular meeting that he, the council members and the village were “deeply troubled by the allegations.”