A uniformed officer with the U.S. Secret Service turned himself in to Maryland authorities on Monday after he was allegedly caught engaging in sexually explicit text message conversations with a person he believed was a 14-year-old girl. The girl was really a Delaware State Trooper, officials said, who was working as part of Delaware's Child Sex Predator task force. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI |
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A uniformed officer of the U.S. Secret Service assigned to the White House has been suspended from his job for soliciting sex from an underage girl in multiple text messages, authorities said Thursday.
The 37-year-old officer was temporarily relieved of his duties last week after the agency became aware of the accusations. The 14-year-old girl in this case, though, was actually a Delaware State Trooper who was part of the state's Child Predator Task Force.
According to a court document, the officer repeatedly sent and received messages from who he believed was a young girl. He now faces a federal charge of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.
A married father of two who lives in Maryland, the officer surrendered to the Maryland State Police on Monday and was arrested, The Washington Post reported.
The officer reportedly admitted to police that he sent the messages and that he knew the girl was a minor. He also admitted to sending some of the messages while he was on duty at the White House.
Some of the text exchanges, investigators said, were sexually explicit -- and on one occasion, prosecutors said, the officer sent a photo of his genitals.
On another occasion, the complaint states, he said he wanted to meet the girl in person near a military base in Delaware.
"He stated he wanted to travel to Delaware and meet in person for sex. [He] made it clear that he knew I was a 14 yr old girl," Delaware State Police Detective Kevin McKay wrote in an affidavit.
Although he was a member of the Secret Service at the White House, the charged officer was not part of the presidential or vice presidential protective details. Uniformed Secret Service officers are stationed around the White House grounds and perform various functions, such as perimeter security and admitting visitors.
In addition to placing the accused officer on leave, the Secret Service said it confiscated his agency-issued equipment and revoked his security clearance.
Even after his arrest, the officer still seemed unaware that the girl he thought he'd been communicating with was a law enforcement officer.
"I don't think we should talk anymore. I can't explain, but I have too much going on, and I need to pull away from talking to people online altogether. This will be my last message. I'm sorry, but I won't be on kick or meet 24 again," he wrote, according to the complaint.
The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware, where the task force searches for child sex predators online. It was created eight years ago by former state attorney general Beau Biden. Last year, the task force recorded its 200th conviction.
