Former Hermosa Beach cop charged with meeting an undercover deputy he thought was a 16-year-old girl
A former Hermosa Beach police officer pleaded not guilty Thursday to trying to arrange sex with an undercover sheriff’s deputy posing as a 16-year-old girl, officials said.
Todd Lewitt, 51, of Long Beach was charged with one count of meeting a minor for lewd purposes, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Late in July, prosecutors said, Lewitt used a dating website to set up a meeting with the undercover Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy that he thought was an underage girl. Prosecutors say Lewitt was arrested when he showed up to the meeting spot in East Los Angeles.
Pat Carey, an attorney representing Lewitt, said Thursday that the person’s dating profile indicated she was 20 years old.
“She held herself out to be 20 years old,” Carey said, adding that he had not yet received all of the discovery from prosecutors.
The attorney also said Lewitt never showed up to the meeting spot, though he would not say why. Carey said investigators approached Lewitt in a parking lot near the meeting place.
If convicted, Lewitt faces up to four years in state prison.
alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
Twitter: @AleneTchek
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