by Jason Volentine
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- A former
Mesa cop and Scottsdale ancient art dealer is in trouble, accused of sexual
assault in a case with bizarre details emerging from a police report.
Walter Knox, 42, is the owner
of Knox Artifacts in downtown Scottsdale.
Police served a search warrant and arrested Knox at his business last
week.
Two women in their late 20s are
listed as victims in the police report with one of the women claiming sexual
assault. Knox is also charged with
assault with a deadly weapon.
A Scottsdale police report said
officers found cocaine and guns when they searched Knox Artifacts.
In the report, officers said
during the arrest that Knox claimed he was the victim of a theft and assault at
a strip club the night before.
One of the cops present at the
arrest noted in his report that Knox looked high. Another officer said Knox
talked at length about his experience as a Mesa police officer, shootings in
which he had been involved and his current medical issues.
Knox was released after his
arrest and the next day, according to the report, called Scottsdale police back
to his gallery, claiming the victims
listed in the sexual assault case had stolen $2,800 in cash and used his credit
card to book first class airplane tickets to Texas.
The report said Knox also gave
officers two baggies of drugs he claimed cops had left at the gallery during
their search the day before. Police seized the two baggies of meth and another
drug.
Knox is out of jail pending
further investigation on this case.
John Geer