Drunk 22-year-old Alaska cop charged with sexting

A police officer in the Alaskan village of Kobuk has been hit with felony charges of soliciting, first- and second-degree child sexual abuse as an authority figure, and evidence tampering after he allegedly sent at least 20 text messages to a 12-year-old girl requesting sex while he was drunk and on duty.

The officer, 22-year-old Leon Outwater, allegedly sent the messages from a village-owned cellphone during a 24-hour period between Nov. 16 and 17.

It took so long to arrest Outwater because investigators had to deal with deleted messages and determine if the officer was on duty when the messages were allegedly sent.

The charges were filed in court Friday

"When relieved of his duties, Outwater tampered with evidence when he deleted the text messages from the phone," the Alaska State Police wrote in a statement.

He later admitted that he had sent the messages while on duty, according to the charges. Outwater also admitted something else. "I was drunk," he said, according to the charging document.

About 140 people live in Kobuk. It is unclear if Outwater has been fired or suspended.

[Anchorage Daily News]