LOS ANGELES (KNX) — A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy was arrested Friday in connection with an internal investigation into allegations he sexually molested a minor.
Deputy Sean Essex was arrested Friday and booked into jail on charges of lewd acts and oral copulation with a child under the age of 14, according to reports.
The case was investigated by the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau and its special victims unit. It has been forwarded to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office for review, the sheriff’s department said.
“The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department expects all of its members to hold themselves to the highest ethical and professional standards at all times,” LASD said in a statement Friday. “Department members who engage in misconduct, especially criminal misconduct that preys on a vulnerable population, will not be tolerated and will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The statement added that Sheriff Alex Villanueva is “appalled and saddened” by the allegations against Essex.
Related
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok