WARREN, Mich. – Text messages posted by the father of a 12-year-old girl led to the suspension of a Detroit police officer.
You can read the messages at the bottom of this article.
Officer suspended from Detroit Police Department
The Detroit Police Department confirmed Monday night, March 3, 2025, that Officer Earl Raynard Anderson Jr. has been placed on paid administrative leave.
Anderson, 37, is being investigated for possibly sending inappropriate texts to the girl on Feb. 22, 2025.
“These allegations are concerning -- troubling, to be exact,” Detroit police Chief Todd Bettison said in a statement. “Because the alleged crime occurred in the city of Warren, the Warren Police Department has taken the lead on the investigation.
“Pursuant to DPD’s policy, our Internal Affairs Unit is conducting a parallel administrative investigation. Earlier today I suspended Officer Anderson from duty. Next, I will submit paperwork to the Board of Police Commissioners to remove Officer Anderson from our department payroll.”
Warren police investigation
Warren police said they began investigating Anderson last month after the girl’s parent reported the text messages.
Investigators said Anderson sent “numerous sexualized messages to the child during late-night and early morning hours.”
They said he deleted the texts and told the girl to do the same, but they recovered the deleted messages, which matched what the parent had told them.
Anderson was arrested Monday without incident.
Warren police continue to investigate electronics to see if there are any other victims.
Anyone with information about this case or others involving Anderson is asked to call 586-574-4816 or email jtalos@warrenpd.org.
Officer faces felony charge
On Tuesday, Anderson was arraigned at 37th District Court in Warren on one count of accosting a child for immoral purposes, which is a four-year felony.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge.
He’s being held on $200,000 bond, cash/surety. If he’s released, Anderson must wear a GPS tether, isn’t allowed to have contact with anyone under 17 years old, and isn’t allowed to use the internet.
A probable cause conference is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. March 18. Warren police said a court hearing is scheduled for March 25.
“The safety and well-being of our children is our top priority,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said. “We should be able to trust police officers to protect our children, not prey on them. These charges reflect our commitment to holding offenders accountable, no matter their position, and ensuring justice for the most vulnerable members of our community.”
Text messages shown in screenshots
This case appears to stem from screenshots taken by the girl’s father. He posted them on Facebook and accused Anderson of trying to groom his daughter.
Here are the text conversations from that post. It’s unclear in what order these conversations happened.
Here’s the first conversation shown in the post:
- Girl: “Playing game with my friend”
- Anderson: “What game yall playing?”
- Girl: “Roblox”
- Anderson: “Oh. U should play the sims FreePlay game with me. It’s fun.”
- Girl: “Oh”
- Girl: “That game never works for me”
- Anderson: “Why. U can date, family, party n more on there”
- Girl: “Glitch”
- Anderson: “Damn”
- Anderson: “I was hoping u stayed another day. Why u leave?”
- Girl: “Had to for school”
- Anderson: “Wow”
- Anderson: “Are u okay with me texting u this late?”
- Girl: “Sure ig” (I guess)
Here’s the second conversation shown in the post:
- Anderson: “Oh. well u looked good”
- Girl: “Is (someone) up”
- Anderson: “She knock out.”
- Girl: “Oh”
- Girl: “Where (name)”
- Anderson: “Sleep too”
- Girl: “Oh”
- Anderson: “U been okay tho?”
- Girl: “Yes”
- Anderson: “Alright. If u wanna keep texting u will have to keep our conversation between me and u. On some friendly type stuff?”
- Girl: “My dad goes thru my phone (shrugging emoji)”
- Anderson: “Oh lol. Well delete these messages. If u figure something out let me know Z. We going to take a (trip) soon too.”
- Girl: “Uhh how”
- Anderson: “U need a second phone?”
- Girl: “No I got an iPad”
- Anderson: “Ur iPad is connected to ur iPhone so ur message can be seen. Create a new text now number or something idk. But delete these messages and from ur trash. Let me know when u create a safe line to text u on”
- Girl: “I made a new acc on my iPad..”
Here’s the third conversation shown in the post:
- Anderson: “What type of dance?”
- Girl: “Valentine dance”
- Anderson: “U got a date?”
- Girl: “Nope I’m going with my friends”
- Anderson: “Cool. U can be real with me. I don’t care if u curse or be ur self. I won’t tell ur people.”
- Anderson: “I’m gonna treat u like ur grown ur mature enough”
- Girl: “Ok”
- Anderson: “How u feel about that?”
- Girl: “Alrt”
Here’s the fourth conversation shown in the post:
- Anderson: “I’m confused. Can ur people look into ur iPad?”
- Girl: “Wym” (What do you mean?)
- Anderson: “Can ur people see ur messages on ur iPad?”
- Girl: “What people”
- Anderson: “Ur dad, grandma?”
- Girl: “My dad go thru every one of my devices”
- Anderson: “Oh. If u find a safe way for us to text let me know. But make sure u delete all these text messages even in ur messages trash. Nice talking to u tho”
Father’s post on Facebook
When he posted the screenshots, the girl’s father included a long message on Facebook.
Here’s what he said:
Yall see what this look like tell me what it looks like to you but I’ve been holding this in for about a week and some change, but I can’t no more. It’s been on my mind real heavy. I took the proper precautions went to the police and everything it’s a waiting game and It only seems like when you put things on the Internet that’s when things get handled, but this man thought it would be OK to text my (age) daughter at two in the morning on this type of time and the craziest part about it he’s your Detroit finest. He’s a police officer which he swore oath to protect and serve, but he’s not standing on that. ... I don’t do this Internet stuff at all, but what’s wrong is wrong and he knows better. Well I thought so my daughter not knowing what type of time he was on, so that’s why she was texting back thinking he was being normal, but she feel something was very off so she sent the messages to her auntie which I am proud very proud of my daughter for even knowing something wasn’t right I assure her every day moving forward she did the right thing and I’m proud of her he just don’t understand how uncomfortable and unsafe he made my daughter feel. This situation could’ve been a lot worse !!! I’m just putting awareness out here because it ain’t no telling who he all did this too pretty much he was grooming my daughter and I don’t like that. And I’m glad she sees me taking this situation very seriously to ensure her that I’m here for her and I got her back. ... That man does not deserve a badge!!!!
Father in Facebook post at 8 a.m. March 3, 2025.
Here is our initial report on the story from Local 4 News at 11 p.m.:
