Crime & Safety
San Leandro Police Officer Charged With Having Sex With Minor
The girl was in the police department's Explorer program. The officer has resigned from the department.
SAN LEANDRO, CA — A San Leandro police officer has been charged with three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old girl who he met while instructing her in his department's Explorer program, police and prosecutors said.
Marco Becerra, 26, has confessed to being in a sexual relationship with the girl in September and October and has resigned from his position, San Leandro police Sgt. Dan Leja wrote in a probable cause statement.
Charges against Becerra, who worked for the department for three years and lives in San Lorenzo, were filed
on Nov. 8 and he pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned the following day. He's free on $25,000 bail and is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 10 for a pre-trial hearing.
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San Leandro police said they began investigating Becerra on Oct. 13 when they received a report from the Alameda County Social Services Agency, which is a mandatory reporter of alleged sexual misconduct.
Police said they immediately contacted the Alameda County District Attorney's Office and began both a criminal and administrative probe. San Leandro police said the alleged conduct consisted of unlawful
sexual acts with the girl while she was in the San Leandro Police Explorer program, which the department offers to youths who are interested in a career in law enforcement.
Find out what's happening in San Leandrofor free with the latest updates from Patch.
San Leandro police said they have temporarily suspended the program while they conduct an internal review.
The conduct between Becerra and the victim occurred in September and October while Becerra was off duty, according to police.
Leja wrote that Becerra confessed to being in a sexual relationship with the girl when police interviewed him on Oct. 20.
Becerra and the girl became friends through the Explorer program and corresponded by phone and through social media, according to Leja.
In September, Becerra and the girl arranged to meet at a location in San Leandro where they engaged in sexual intercourse and they met at least two more times to engage in sex, Leja wrote.
San Leandro police Chief Jeff Tudor said in a statement, "I am upset and disappointed by the unethical and criminal behavior of one of our officers."
Tudor said, "These actions are absolutely inconsistent with the ethical standards of the San Leandro Police Department and we will not tolerate this type of behavior. We are deeply concerned for the victim and her family, and we respect their concerns for maintaining privacy in this matter."
Becerra's defense attorney Michael Rains said Becerra "has the highest regard for the San Leandro Police Department and feels ashamed and sorry that he has created a possible smear on the great employees of that
agency."
Rains said the relationship between Becerra and the 17-year-old "was consensual in every sense of the word" and "they had very strong emotional feelings for one another" but Becerra knows that it was wrong for
him to have sex with the girl.
Rains said Becerra's short career with the San Leandro Police Department was "successful" because he became a member of its SWAT and emergency response teams but Becerra realizes that his conduct has very
likely cost him his career as a law enforcement officer.
— Bay City News; Image by Renee Schiavone, Patch
