Columbus, OH — Another police officer has been arrested for child porn and has been given a sweetheart plea deal. While this happens so often that it is depressingly not surprising, this time, it was the cop’s own soon-to-be 10-year-old step daughter who was the victim.

Columbus police officer Raymond Rose, 31, was arrested in 2020 by an officer with the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children task force after being accused of filming a young child in a “state of nudity,” according to Franklin County Municipal Court records.

In January, Rose took a plea deal and pleaded guilty to a single charge of of gross sexual imposition for inappropriately touching the 10-year-old girl whom he also videotaped naked.

The charges of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material and pandering sexual oriented material involving a minor — both felonies carrying steep sentences — were dropped. Thanks to the plea deal, this week, he was sentenced to just two years in prison.

In October 2020, family members of the reported victim contacted the police department’s Internal Affairs Bureau with the allegations.

Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Sayje Brown told the judge that the child’s mother found the video on Rose’s phone.

The IAB then contacted the department’s Special Victims Bureau. Due to the nature of the allegations, the Special Victims Bureau brought in the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children unit.

According to police, Rose went into his soon-to-be step daughter’s bedroom and filmed the private areas of a 10-year-old girl on July 20 inside a private residence. When police investigated Rose’s phone, they reportedly found the video on it.

#BREAKING: @prosronob says the ICAC unit advises him a CPD Officer was arrested today for child pornography. @wsyx6 @fox28columbus

— Mary Eliza Smith (@MarySmithNews) October 1, 2020

The pandering obscenity charge allegedly stems from the accusation that Rose also made the little girl watch pornography on top of making her strip naked so he could film her.

After his arrest in October — despite investigators finding the videos on his phone — Rose was allowed to stay on the department’s payroll for the next 6 months, resigning in “bad faith” in April of 2021.

“When criminal activity is discovered, our duty is to investigate and pursue the appropriate action based on the evidence. The fact that it involves one of our own does not change that,” said Columbus police chief Thomas Quinlan. “The protection of children demands the highest level of priority and investigation. Regardless of who the accused is, we support every effort to ensure justice is done.”

Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien pointed out that Rose was arrested despite his status as a law enforcement officer as if applying equal justice under the law is something unusual and should be praised.

“I think it shows that no one is above the law,” O’Brien said. “If a police officer commits a crime, they will be prosecuted. They will be investigated the same as any other citizen.”

He then went on to issue a warning to the public about the prevalence of such abuse, noting that it can and will often come from relatives and friends.

“Parents need to be watchful even amongst relatives, even amongst neighbors,” said O’Brien.

On top of his two year sentence, Rose must also register as a sex offender every six months for the next 25 years.

Article posted with permission from Matt Agorist