Man accused of impersonating KC police officer is sentenced to 15 years for sex crime

A Kansas City man accused of impersonating a police officer and sexually assaulting a woman he followed home from the Power & Light District has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The sentencing followed 36-year-old Grant C. Rader’s guilty plea Thursday in Platte County Circuit Court to charges of forcible sodomy and false impersonation.

“This is a particularly frightening crime,” Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said in a statement. “The defendant went to great lengths to pretend to be someone sworn to protect and serve so that he could assault and violate. He is a predator in the truest sense of the term.”

After the victim celebrated her birthday March 7, 2013, at the Power & Light District, she argued with her sister, who left her without a ride. She was “slightly intoxicated,” took a cab home and was met at her Northland apartment by a friend making sure she got home safely.

According to prosecutors, Rader pulled up in a red pickup truck and told the victim he was a Kansas City police officer. He used the name of a retired officer. Rader had a laptop rigged between the seats in his truck and a police scanner on, so the victim and her friend believed him. Rader told the woman she was under arrest for the altercation with her sister, even though it was not physical.

The friend tried to convince Rader to let the victim go. Rader refused and drove away with the victim. The friend called police to find out how to post bond. The dispatcher responded that there was no active duty officer with the name Rader had given. The dispatcher told the friend to call 911.

By then, Rader had driven to another location in the apartment parking lot. He told the victim he needed to search her, and he forced her to partially disrobe. Rader told her he would not take her to jail if she agreed to have sex with him. After the victim refused, Rader sexually assaulted her. Afterward, he ordered her out of the truck and drove away.

Several hours later, Rader sent a text message to a friend that said, “Dude whatever happens I was at ur house till 5am to get my keys, so I could drive home! I did not drive to pnl.”

Police later found that Rader’s phone and iPad had a police scanner app that produced chatter. Rader’s truck had a bracket on the dash to hold an iPad. Police also found a badge during a search of Rader’s home.

This story was originally published March 6, 2015 at 12:45 PM.