PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — An Auburn police officer is in the Pierce County jail, accused of sending inappropriate messages to a person he thought was a minor. According to investigators, the messages were actually sent to deputies with the Pierce County Internet Crimes Against Children task force.
PCSO reports the messages were sent Wednesday and deputies arrested him after he showed up to work Friday morning.
Body cam footage shows deputies cuffing him inside the Auburn Police Department and loading him into a waiting car.
Deputies said they coordinated with Auburn police to make it happen. They reportedly planned it that way so he would be unable to escape or destroy evidence. Given his job, they wanted to work fast.
“We knew with the upcoming weekend we wanted to remove him, especially knowing that he had the ability to put a uniform on and carry a firearm,” Dep. Carly Cappetto, public information officer for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said. “Those were major concerns for us.”
Cappetto said the messages were sent to fake online profiles set up by the sheriff’s office to catch predators. She would not discuss the specifics of the messages.
“Disturbing. I think the messages you’re going to find are very disturbing, especially when there is intent there from the suspect,” she said. “Let’s just say we are very fortunate that a child was not hurt.”
“The allegations in this case are deeply troubling and do not reflect the values, professionalism, or integrity of the Auburn Police Department,” Auburn Police Chief Mark Caillier said in a statement. “Our duty as officers is to ensure the safety and well-being of the public, especially children. This officer has broken that trust, and this incident will be handled as promptly as possible, while still ensuring that due process is followed.”
The officer is now on administrative leave.
“You are going to find predators and pedophiles in all sorts of lines of work. We find them in religious entities, in government agencies. We find them in law enforcement,” Cappetto said. “We will continue to find them and arrest them and we are not afraid to arrest our own as well.”
Cappetto said investigators are now looking through his electronics for any more evidence.
Prosecutors expect to screen the case Monday. KIRO 7 has not identified the officer because he has not been charged.
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