A Massachusetts police officer was arrested last week and charged with soliciting a 15-year-old girl for prostitution.
Mitchell Walsh, a 28-year-old Fall River police officer currently on leave due to substance abuse issues, was apprehended by Boston Police as reported by WPRI on Friday. It was revealed that he had been engaging in conversations for six weeks with an undercover officer posing as a teenager, in response to a false advertisement on a website commonly used by individuals involved in human trafficking or seeking to engage in sexual exploitation with victims, as disclosed by prosecutors during his court hearing on Monday.
During these conversations, Walsh’s messages allegedly included phrases like, “Let’s do this tonight,” “You free tonight?” and “Do you like to party at all?” Prosecutors stated that he had agreed to pay $200 in exchange for a sexual encounter.
Upon his arrival at the pre-arranged meeting spot in a gray Dodge Ram truck, law enforcement officials arrested Walsh. Subsequent searches led to the discovery of a white powdery substance suspected to be cocaine in the vehicle’s central console, along with two additional bags found in his wallet. Additionally, an empty pen containing residue of suspected cocaine, a bottle of vodka, and a pack of miniature liquor bottles were recovered. Authorities also confiscated his mobile phone.
Walsh was charged with enticement of a child under 16, sexual conduct for a fee with a child, attempted rape of a child, and possession of drugs with intent to distrubute. He pleaded not guilty and was released on a $5,000 (sic) bail with conditions that included staying away from children, staying out of Boston’s historic Charlestown neighborhood, surrendering his passport, and going through a substance abuse evalution.
He is due back in court on May 5.
Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan said the matter has “got to be dealt with very, very quickly;”
“We’ve got to do our best to get people like this out of the police department,” he said.
