Fairfield police officer accused of exchanging inappropriate texts, photos to underage students
FAIRFIELD — A Fairfield police officer is accused of exchanging inappropriate texts and images with two underage high school girls, authorities announced Saturday.
The Fairfield Police Department said Officer James Louis was a school resource officer at Rodriguez High School. A parent of a student notified the department about the alleged illicit activity.
Officer Louis was arrested as a result of an independent investigation conducted by the Solano County District Attorney's Major Crimes Task Force.
Louis was also placed on administrative leave.
"He shouldn't have gotten their cellphone numbers and stuff like that. I don't know how that happened," said Kalyn Nasser, who lives near the school.
People CBS13 talked to were shocked to hear of this happening in their neighborhood.
"He's working with kids, he shouldn't be around kids. He shouldn't be a cop," said new parent Steve Nelson.
"That should not have happened. There's no way to justify it or make any excuse for it," Nasser said.
What are the charges?
Officer James Louis was booked into the Solano County Jail on Saturday and faces the following charges:
- Sending, distributing or exhibiting harmful or obscene material to a minor
- Contacting or communicating with a minor with the intent to commit a sex crime
- Knowingly transporting, duplicating or possessing child pornography or other obscene material with the intent to distribute or show it to others
In the announcement of Louis' arrest, the department said:
"This department holds our officers and professional staff to a high standard of care, and we are simultaneously disappointed, infuriated, and saddened by this information.
This department values the trust instilled in us by our community, not only to keep you safe, but to keep your children safe. Acts like these violate that trust, are wholly inexcusable, and fail to exemplify what Fairfield Police Department stands for."