WARREN, Mich. – A Detroit officer finds himself on the wrong side of the law.
Earl Raynard Anderson Jr. has been suspended from duty following allegations of sending inappropriate text messages to a 12-year-old girl.
The victim is reportedly the daughter of Anderson’s new wife.
The Detroit officer is facing one count of accosting a child for immoral purposes, a four-year felony.
“It’s very disturbing,” said Det. John Talos of the Warren Police Department. “This is an individual who took an oath to protect the community. Instead of protecting the community, he made a decision to prey on a 12-year-old.”
The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office reported that the alleged crime occurred in Warren on Feb. 22.
The conversation, which began just before 2:30 a.m., lasted over an hour.
Text messages revealed that Anderson had asked the girl to keep their conversation private and had advised her to delete their messages.
Crime and safety expert Darnell Blackburn emphasized the importance of early discussions about online safety, suggesting parents talk to their children as young as five years old about the potential dangers of smart devices.
“Just saying there are people that are not necessarily good people and making sure your young person understands that sometimes grown-ups don’t always do the right things,” said Blackburn.
Warren police have commended the young girl for coming forward and informing an adult about the situation.
“We can’t tell her enough how proud we are of her and her family for coming to us with this issue,” Talos said.
Anderson’s bond has been set at $200,000, and he is expected to appear in court later this month.
Investigators are currently examining electronic devices to determine if there are additional victims.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact Det. Talos at (586) 574-4816 or jtalos@warrenpd.org.
Here is our initial report on the story from Local 4 News at 11 p.m.:
