
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, January 1, 1995                   TAG: 9501030095
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: HOLIDAY 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: ALEXANDRIA                                 LENGTH: Medium

FIRED POLICEMAN POSED AS A TUTOR

A police officer fired last week amid allegations he had sex with a 15-year- old girl ran a bogus tutoring service that included the teen-ager and other girls, a newspaper reported.

The officer, whose name has not been released, frequently visited T.C. Williams High School, authorities said.

Charges have not been filed against the officer, 27, who joined the force three years ago. Under Virginia law, it is illegal for adults to engage in sexual activity with anyone younger than 18, regardless of whether the person consents.

The Washington Post quoted law-enforcement sources who said the officer befriended the 15-year-old and began a relationship that led to sex at his Alexandria apartment and at a motel. Later the officer reportedly offered to tutor other girls at T.C. Williams, but no other allegations of sexual misconduct have emerged.

The matter came to light several weeks ago after the mother of a student called school administrators and asked if police had started a tutoring program. That student did not accept the officer's tutoring offer, police said. School officials contacted police, who began an internal investigation because no tutoring program existed.

``This certainly was not something that was sanctioned by the school or the police,'' said Dana Lawhorne, a police detective who is investigating the case. ``This guy was a cop operating on his own. Here's a guy who basically barged in on the school and took advantage. It certainly does hurt the trust factor between police officers and young people.''

Lawhorne declined to discuss specifics of the case, as did Sgt. Steven Mason, a department spokesman. Both emphasized, however, that none of the alleged sexual activities took place at the school.

Although the officer was not part of a police team assigned to work at T.C. Williams, the school's principal, John Porter, recalled seeing him there several times this year. Porter said he did not become suspicious, because many officers visit occasionally to meet with students.

Porter said he was unaware of the officer's tutoring offers until the parent telephoned the school. The officer's name is not on a list of volunteer tutors kept by the school, Porter said. He said he was advised by police a few weeks ago that the officer was under investigation.

by CNB