State Officer Accused of On-Job Sex Assault

A state police officer may face charges today for allegedly assaulting a prostitute while on duty, police said.

Melvin Charles Potts, 31, was arrested late Friday night, Costa Mesa Police Lt. Ron Smith said.

Potts, of Irvine, has worked at the Fairview Developmental Center, a state facility for the mentally disabled, for almost a year, Smith said.

A Costa Mesa police officer saw a prostitute get into Potts’ state police car on Harbor Boulevard and followed the vehicle to an industrial area in Santa Ana, Smith said. The officer lost sight of the car but later saw the woman emerge from the area.

Upon questioning, the woman told the officer that Potts had ordered her to get in the car with him. Once in Santa Ana, he ordered her to get out of the car and put her hands behind her back, she told police. Potts allegedly held her hands with one hand and fondled her breasts and buttocks with the other hand before getting back in his car and driving off, Smith said.

Potts posted $10,000 bail early Saturday. He has been placed on administrative leave from his job at Fairview while the incident is investigated, spokesperson Lynne McKnight said.

Police took the case to the district attorney Tuesday for the filing of charges that could include false imprisonment, sexual assault and sexual assault under color of authority.

Potts was a reserve officer for the Costa Mesa police from April 1996 to March 1997 before being terminated for undisclosed reasons, Smith said.