A former Massachusetts police officer is accused of having a sexual relationship with a teenager and asking the victim to send him a naked photograph, the Middlesex District Attorney's Office said Wednesday.
Alexander Allen, 35, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of aggravated rape of a child with a 10-year age difference and possession of child pornography. Prosecutors say the charges stem from a sexual relationship he had with a 15-year-old girl.
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According to the DA, Allen was working as a Billerica police officer in 2023 when he allegedly told another officer that he had an intimate relationship with the teen. The Middlesex District Attorney's Office and Billerica Police Department began an investigation at that point.
Investigators found that Allen first met the teen when she was 14. In March 2021, two months before her 16th birthday, prosecutors allege that he picked her up from an appointment, brought her home and had sex with her. He also allegedly asked her for a naked photo, which she sent.
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Billerica police said they first learned of the allegations against Allen on Dec. 3, 2023, and immediately launched an internal affairs investigation. He was placed on leave on Dec. 5 and resigned on Dec. 18, 2023. He had worked for the department since 2018.
"Upon learning of the allegations, we followed our established policies and procedures, which included launching an internal affairs investigation and notifying our district attorney. There is no room in the Billerica Police Department for the abhorrent behavior alleged in this case," Chief Roy Frost wrote in a media statement.
Frost said that Allen was indicted on Oct. 3. The chief has requested that the POST Commission temporarily decertify Allen due to the charges against him.
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A second officer, who was not named, has been placed on administrative leave as of Tuesday over an investigation into possible violations of departmental policy related to Allen's case, Frost said.
Allen is scheduled to be arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court on Oct. 25.
More details were not immediately available.
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673, and Massachusetts provides this list of statewide and resources for sexual assault survivors.