PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — A former Puyallup Police Department (PPD) officer in training who was fired after being arrested for rape has been taken into custody in connection to a separate 2016 rape case in Connecticut.
Niamkey Amichia, 32, was arrested Friday afternoon by Puyallup police officers on an extraditable warrant out of Waterbury, Conn. Amichia is accused of home invasion, sexual assault, kidnapping, unlawful restraint and impersonation of a police officer.
Amichia was hired as a Puyallup officer in August 2022 and was in training until his arrest in March in connection to a rape in October 2022. Puyallup police said he never worked alone as an officer and he was immediately terminated by the department following the arrest.
Pierce County investigators said the reported rape happened when Amichia was off-duty. The victim told police she met the officer on an online dating app before the rape occurred.
Court documents said that while the victim initially agreed to meet Amichia and receive $400 from him for 30 minutes of her time, she would only have sex with him if he wore a condom. But when Amichia said he did not have one and she refused to have sex, he raped her.
DNA from a rape kit submitted to authorities revealed a match for Amichia. The evidence indicated another match for an unrelated 2016 rape case in Waterbury, Conn., according to probable cause documents.
The victim in the 2016 case said an unknown man matching his description had knocked on her door and entered the residence claiming to be the police. The man zip-tied the victim's hands behind her back and forced her to have sex.
Amichia was arrested Friday after showing up at the PPD for a property exchange. The department had held some of Amichia's personal property after his March arrest, including a firearm that belonged to him. PPD policy requires a criminal history inquiry to be run before any firearms can be released.
The Connecticut arrest warrant was discovered in an inquiry a few hours before the meeting. Amichia was taken into police custody, according to PPD.
Amichia's first court appearance is scheduled for Monday afternoon. Court documents indicated that New Haven County, Conn., plans to extradite the defendant on the $2 million warrant.