Police Officer Arrested in San Jose for Alleged Sex Chat With Minor
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- San Jose police arrested a San Mateo officer Thursday for allegedly communicating with a minor with the intention of engaging in sexual activity.
San Jose police received a tip about 40-year-old Robert Davies from a "concerned citizen" who was a 16-year-old girl posing as a 19-year-old woman on mobile dating app Tinder.
Minors are not permitted to create a profile on Tinder and the girl was aware of that, according to police. Photos of the victim on the Tinder account allegedly made her look like a minor, police said.
The girl apparently did research and found out that Davies was a police officer.
Police said the girl chatted with Davies on Tinder on Saturday, May 11. Then they switched to the Kik Messenger and the girl told Davies she was actually 16 years old. Police said Davies acknowledged that she was a minor and asked to switch to Snapchat where they continued talking about her being 16 and engaging in sexual activity.
Police conducted a follow-up investigation and served search warrants at Davies' home, then served a felony warrant for his arrest in Morgan Hill on Thursday.
He was booked into Santa Clara County jail on suspicion of contacting a minor to commit a felony. His bail is currently set at $50,000.
San Mateo police said Davies has been placed on paid administrative leave, and a criminal investigation is ongoing into allegations that occurred while he was off-duty in another county.
"This alleged conduct, if true, is in no way a reflection of all that we stand for as a Department, and is an affront to the tenets of our department and our profession as a whole," San Mateo Police Chief Susan Manheimer said in a statement.
According to Davies' LinkedIn profile, he has been a police officer in San Mateo for over four years, and previously served in the Burlingame and Redwood City police departments. He was also in the United States Marine Corps for four years.
Anyone with information about Davies or possible additional minors who may have communicated with him are asked to contact San Jose police Detective Michael O'Grady at (408) 537-1397.
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