Investigators: Former Puyallup police officer accused of rape may be linked to other assault

PUYALLUP, Wash. - A former Puyallup police officer, who was arrested for rape on Thursday night, may also be tied to a 2016 rape in Connecticut that has gone unsolved for years, according to investigators. 

32-year-old Niamkey Ange Amichia was arrested for an alleged incident that happened in October 2022, when he was off-duty.

According to court documents, Amichia met a woman on a dating app and they agreed to have sexual relations for $400.

The victim says they agreed to use protection when meeting up, but Amichia showed up without a condom. She said she did not want to have sex, but he was being "very serious and aggressive, which made her uncomfortable." She told him to stop, but he did not, investigators say. The victim said she was afraid of "what would happen to her if she did not do as she was told," according to court documents. 

When Amichia left, the victim called police to report the incident. She was advised to go to a hospital for a rape kit exam.

The DNA from that test matched data from the nationwide "CODIS" system, and it linked Amichia to an unsolved rape case in Connecticut. 

In that case, he allegedly claimed to be a police officer, walked into the victim's home, zip-tied her hands behind her back and raped her. The case was unsolved until his DNA was entered into the CODIS system from the October incident.

Pierce County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Darren Moss Jr. told FOX 13 that once they learned the suspect was an officer, they wanted to quickly make an arrest. 

Amichia was hired by the Puyallup police department on Aug. 8 and was still in training. Deputies said he was never alone in the community during his time as an officer. He was fired immediately upon his arrest. 

"The fact that he used this ruse to trick someone into letting him in the house to commit such a heinous crime like that is just really, really upsetting, it's alarming," Moss said. 

"The actions of this officer are extremely disappointing.  His actions do not represent the great men and women of our department who day after day give 100% in service to our community.  Further, his actions greatly damage our law enforcement profession and tarnish our badge. His actions violate all that we swear to uphold in our oath as police officers," Puyallyp Police Chief Scott Engle said in a statement. 

During Amichia's arrest, he waived his rights and deputies describe his answers to questions as "inconsistent."

He eventually asked deputies if he could "restart."

Prosecutors say Amichia is from South Africa and is a flight risk. Bail has been set at $200,000.

Pierce County Deputies also performed mouth swabs on Amichia, which are still pending from the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab.

Moss says deputies are in communication with Waterford Police Department in Connecticut.

"It’s very unfortunate she [victim] had to go through this but, I'm really thankful that she came forward and reported it because without that, we may still have this guy walking around in a police uniform," Moss said.