A former northeast Iowa police officer accused of a sex crime is found -not- guilty. Richard Knief was acquitted by a Black Hawk County jury on Thursday. The former Waterloo police sergeant was charged with sexual misconduct with an offender for allegedly having sex with a woman who, at the time, was an inmate at the Black Hawk County Jail.
During testimony this week, the 48-year-old Knief admitted to having sex with the 19-year-old woman, but the defense argued it was poor judgment — not a crime. Knief, who resigned from the force earlier this year, was facing up to two years in prison and a five-thousand dollar fine, if found guilty.