A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s officer has been charged with over 30 charges of sex offences involving children, CBS Los Angeles reported.
“Sexually abusing a kid not only robs them of their innocence but also creates lifelong mental scars.
This is one of the most severe crimes my office confronts and it is made worse when the act is perpetrated by someone who has been entrusted to safeguard individuals and our community from danger,” District Attorney Gascón said.
On Tuesday, Deputy Sean Essex was indicted by a grand jury on 18 charges of oral sex acts with a child, 12 counts of indecent acts on a kid young than 14 years old, two counts of sexual acts with a child young than 14 and one count of possession of child porn – a total of 33 counts.
The accusations include a 2006 case that the district attorney’s office had previously dismissed.
Essex entered a not guilty plea on the first day of his trial. Essex would be charged with 32 crimes, each of which carried a life sentence.
Essex was sacked by the Sheriff’s Department in 2018 after an internal and criminal inquiry.
The Civil Service Commission, according to the agency, reversed the decision and ordered that he be reinstated.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department issued a statement saying that Mr. Sean Essex “does not represent the ideals of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department or those of the devoted men and women in law enforcement who proudly serve our communities each day.”
Essex has once again been “relieved of duty,” according to the department, and his salary is being withheld.
“The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department demands the highest ethical, moral, and professional standards from each member of its staff at all times.
Members of the department who act improperly, particularly criminal misbehaviour that preys on a vulnerable population, will not be permitted; their actions will be thoroughly investigated and penalised.
The Sheriff, as well as society, expects peace officers to uphold the highest moral and ethical standards “the division composed.