A CHP officer in Northern California is accused of transferring nude photos from the phone of a drunken driving suspect to his own mobile, according to a report.
While he was booking a drunken driving suspect into jail, a CHP officer downloaded sexually explicit photos from the woman’s phone and sent them to himself, authorities said.
Sean Harrington, 35, of Martinez, Calif., secretly sent nude and bikini-clad images of a woman he had pulled over on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to court documents obtained by the Contra Costa Times.
Harrington has been confined to desk duties pending the results of an investigation.
An investigator for the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office is recommending felony computer theft charges be filed against the five-year veteran, the paper reported.
The prosecutor’s office and the CHP declined to comment on specifics of the case.
The incident occurred in August, when Harrington and his partner stopped the woman for making an unsafe lane change.
After failing a field sobriety test, the woman was arrested for having a blood-alcohol level of .29%, the paper reported.
At the Martinez County Jail, Harrington allegedly used the woman’s cellphone to transfer photos of the woman in the nude and in a bikini to his mobile.
“We think it’s a horrific breach of the public trust,” said Rick Madsen, the woman’s attorney. “We believe Officer Harrington committed a clandestine and illegal intrusion.”
