Minneapolis cop charged with sexual assault of passed-out woman

A Minneapolis police officer accused of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman will appear in court Thursday to face two felony charges. Thomas Robert Tichich, 47, was booked into jail early Thursday morning for the alleged Dec. 15 incident.

According to the charges, Tichich, the victim and another woman were out drinking the night before and went back to a house in northeast Minneapolis to spend the night and avoid driving drunk. The victim passed out on a living room couch while the other woman went upstairs to sleep, but later woke up to find Tichich in her bed and touching her arm. Tichich was then asked to leave the room.

Later that night, the woman walked downstairs and found Tichich standing over the victim, allegedly attempting a sex act. The woman used her phone to capture photos of the incident, then told Tichich to get out of her house and called Minneapolis police.

Responding officers woke-up the still-unconscious woman, who said she never discussed any kind of sexual activity with Tichich.

According to the complaint, Tichich emailed the woman the next day to apologize for being drunk and asked if he may have left his phone at the house.

Tichich is charged with two counts of criminal sexual conduct of a helpless victim. Bail has been set at $50,000, according to jail records.