New Mexico State Police sergeant accused of raping his friend

LAS VEGAS, N.M. (KRQE) –  New Mexico State Police Sergeant Kevin Keiner has been placed on paid administrative leave while facing sexual assault charges. He’s accused of raping a Las Vegas woman at his home in northern New Mexico.

When questioned by Las Vegas police, Keiner talked about his relationship with the alleged victim and what occurred on the evening of February 11.

A criminal complaint stated the woman, after having drinks at a bar in Las Vegas, NM, returned to a house on Lopez street. She called her friend of five years, Sergeant Keiner, to pick her up from the home after she’d gotten into an argument with her brother and another woman.

“Don’t get me wrong. I am drunk, but I called for help,” the woman said.

In a police interview, Keiner stated that, while off duty, but in his uniform and police vehicle, he picked the woman up and took her to his home in Las Vegas on Palo Verde Drive. Keiner suggested that the woman take a shower to help calm her down.

“She went in there, and she took a shower, and I was like, “Okay, here. Are you good,” and she’s like, “Do you want to help me and join me in the shower,” said Keiner in a police interview.

The woman told police she doesn’t remember much after the shower but claimed she blacked out. The next thing she remembers is that Keiner was on top of her.

“I stayed there for a few more minutes and then afterwards, she got up, and she’s like, ‘I want to go,’ and I was like, ‘Is everything okay,’ and she’s like, ‘Yeah,’” added Keiner.

Keiner said while the two have never had sex before that February night, their relationship was more than friendly.

Court documents show an exchange of texts between the two, but the woman heard on a cell phone recording claiming Keiner took advantage of her.

“No! How can I trust you? The one person that I called when everything went to s***,” said the woman.

Keiner has been placed under house arrest; he is staying at a home in Albuquerque with an ankle monitor. Keiner is charged with a second-degree felony and has a preliminary hearing on Mar. 14.