Former sheriff’s deputy gets prison for sexual relationship with teen

A former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy was sentenced Tuesday to three years in state prison for having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl.

The relationship began in March 2013 and continued for about two months, Deputy Dist. Atty. Rosa Alarcon said in a news release.

John Augustus Rose II, 44, was relieved of duty without pay after his arrest in September 2013. He pleaded no contest to committing a lewd act on a child and possessing child pornography. In addition to his prison sentence, Rose will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Through his attorney, Rose maintained his innocence. The girl, who knew Rose through her family, made up the molestation story after her friendship with Rose went sour, said the attorney, Arthur Lindars, in an interview Tuesday.

According to Lindars, the pornography charge was related to images the girl sent to Rose that he kept on his phone to possibly use against her later. Rose pleaded no contest because possessing those images would have resulted in prison time regardless of why he had them, Lindars said.

“It’s a sad case. Mr. Rose has lost everything,” Lindars said. “He’s lost his job. He had 22 years on the department, and he was highly decorated.”

Rose was awarded the Medal of Valor for rescuing a woman trapped in a mountain cabin during the 2003 Curve fire.

For more news about the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, follow @cindychangLA. She can be reached at cindy.chang@latimes.com.