Woman got money,
ice from cop,
she says

The Kauai resident
also claims they had sex
in the vice officer's police car

By Joan Conrow
Star-Bulletin

LIHUE -- A Kapaa woman said a Kauai police officer gave her money and drugs and had sex with her in a police car while she was working as a confidential informant for the vice squad last year.

Roberta Lyons, 27, yesterday went public with her allegations against the officer saying: "I just like he be put straight. He's supposed to be there to help the island and he's not helping nobody."

Lyons, through her attorney Tom Medeiros, has filed a civil-rights complaint with the FBI. Medeiros said materials were sent to the agency yesterday. FBI spokesman John Pikus said yesterday that the agency had not received an official complaint.

Kauai Police Chief George Freitas did not return two phone calls yesterday seeking comment on Lyons' allegations. The officer named by Lyons could not be reached for comment.

Medeiros said Lyons has much to fear and nothing to gain from her allegations. "Her single motivation is to expose that and not file some sort of lawsuit to make money."

Added Lyons: "It's just something that I've gotta do. It's stressful and I worry a lot, but it can't go on. Who knows what he might do next?"

Lyons said she approached the officer, whom she had known for five or six years, and asked if she could serve as a confidential informant in hopes of kicking her own "ice" habit. "I wanted to bring down all the 'ice' dealers so I couldn't get drugs."

While working as an informant during the months of August and September, Lyons said she made about 25 to 30 controlled buys from "ice" and cocaine dealers. In return, she said, the officer gave her $100 to $150 for each purchase.

She said the officer also gave her a bag of "ice" after one buy, took her drinking, allowed her to drive a Ford Ranger used by vice officers and twice engaged in consensual sex with her in the vehicle.

Lyons also contends that the officer held onto her own "ice" stash and pipe while she made buys, and never signed her up as an informant. "After a while I said I'd heard I was supposed to sign a packet and he said, 'that's bull--, that's nonsense, I don't go by those rules.'"

Lyons said she worked with the officer for about one month and then he "passed me on" to another vice officer. "He searched my car (for drugs) and would only give me $20 for a buy," she said. That's when she realized her arrangement with the first officer was unusual.

The second officer also brought papers to officially sign her up as an informant, but by then Lyons said she had a reputation on the streets as a "rat" and couldn't make any more purchases.

About a month after dropping out of the program, Lyons and her roommate were arrested in a drug raid on their home. Lyons said she told vice officers about her relationship with the first officer, and they reportedly urged her to file a formal complaint with the police.

Lyons said she made a statement to police, but refused to sign it after the first officer's partner told her not to "make waves" and the officer came to her job and intimidated her.

But after debating for several months and going through a drug rehabilitation program, Lyons said she finally decided to go public.

"I have a hard time sleeping at night. I'm always watching my back. But this cannot go on."