A Manhattan Beach police officer has been charged with sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl he initially met while she was at the police station to report a crime, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.

“Instead of providing assistance and support to the victim, this officer is alleged to have abused his authority when she was most vulnerable,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “If officers break the law they were sworn to uphold, they will be held accountable for their actions by my office.”

John Cheatham, 33, is set to be arraigned June 24 in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom on two felony counts of contacting a minor for a sexual offense and one misdemeanor count of annoying or molesting a child, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Cheatham allegedly sent numerous sexually explicit messages through social media sites to the teen between November 2019 and June 2020, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

A spokespeerson for the Manhattan Beach Police Department could not be reached for immediate comment on Cheatham’s status with the department.

>> Want to read more stories like this? Get our Free Daily Newsletters Here!