WEST COVINA – The city placed a West Covina Police officer on paid leave amid a criminal investigation into claims the officer raped a woman, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

A 41-year-old woman said West Covina Police Officer Hector Garay raped her on June 30 inside her West Covina apartment. This newspaper does not identify alleged victims of sex crimes.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Amy Hanson, an internal criminal investigator with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed a probe into the woman’s allegations against Garay is underway.

Garay, 52, of Corona, did not discuss the allegations.

“I’m not going to comment,” Garay said.

Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore and Sgt. Scott Craig, the sheriff’s department lead internal criminal investigator, deferred all questions to West Covina Police Chief Frank Wills.

Wills declined to discuss the specifics of the probe and didn’t name the officer involved.

“The allegations, even if true, have nothing to do with on-duty conduct or matters in the scope of his employment,” Wills said.

Wills said the alleged victim has a “long history” of making false allegations against West Covina Police officers.