Anne Arundel Police Officer Charged With Sex Offenses

ANNAPOLIS, MD — An Anne Arundel County Police officer was arrested on a slew of sex offense charges Tuesday, police said. Detective Brian Houseman, 44, who has worked in the Bureau of Patrol in Eastern District for 13 years, is accused of a fourth degree sex offense, second degree assault, two counts of prostitution, four counts of misconduct in office and extortion by a government employee.

"The offenses alleged to have been committed by this officer are a betrayal of the values of the Anne Arundel County Police Department and the policing profession," police said in a press release. "The men and women of the Anne Arundel County Police Department work hard to maintain the trust of the community and will always hold police department employees accountable for any actions that are inconsistent with providing the highest level of professional law enforcement services."

On April 24, Anne Arundel County Police Detectives were interviewing an adult female in a criminal investigation. During the interview, the female stated in a matter unrelated to her original complaint, that Houseman harassed and sexually assaulted her. The woman told police that in November of 2016, Houseman was assigned to investigate case she was involved in. She said that in the weeks during and after the investigation, Houseman made unwanted advances towards her.

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Houseman allegedly sent the female an unwanted picture of his genitalia and inappropriate sexual comments via text message while he was on duty. The woman also said she was persuaded by Houseman to have sex with him after he suggested he could "put in a good word" with an associate of the woman who was facing criminal charges, police said.

Police launched an investigation and linked Houseman to three more unrelated incidents, police said. Police found that in February of 2017, Houseman was assigned to investigate a stalking complaint. During the investigation, Houseman allegedly began texting with the female suspect and made unwanted sexual comments to her. Police found there was no intimate contact between Houseman and this female.

Police found in March of 2017, Houseman contacted a female soliciting prostitution, police said. He allegedly met the woman in the Brooklyn area of Anne Arundel County, where money was exchanged for sex acts, while he was on duty. Detectives then found on April 19, Houseman contacted a woman for prostitution again. They discussed sex acts in exchange for money, but they did not meet, police said.

Houseman was arrested on May 2 and was taken into custody without incident, police said. Since the investigation began, Houseman's police powers have been suspended and he's been assigned to administrative duties. He will continue in this status pending the outcome of the criminal prosecution and internal investigation, police said.

Photo: Anne Arundel Police Department