Former police officer arrested for sex crimes with juvenile

BALDWIN, LA (WAFB) - A man is facing sex crime charges after being accused of allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old girl.

Investigators say that Joseph Brent, 39, of Baldwin, La. a police officer at the Baldwin Police Department, fathered a child with an underage girl. The juvenile gave birth to the child in July, and a DNA test was submitted to the state crime lab for analysis.

Brent was arrested on the job Thursday morning, and he was sent to the St. Mary Parish Jail to be booked on charges of molestation of a juvenile, malfeasance in office, sexual battery, and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

Brent had been under investigation for almost a year. Back in October 2013, the Baldwin Police Department requested that the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations examine allegations that Brent was distributing narcotics. Detectives were unable to confirm those allegations.

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