Deputy Suspected of Using Internet to Lure Teen for Sex

A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy was suspended from the force this weekend after being booked on suspicion of using the Internet to meet a teenage girl for sex, a law enforcement source said.

Deputy Steven Brown, 41, a 14-year veteran assigned to the Palmdale Station, was arrested at 10 a.m. Friday by the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Task Force (SAFE), which specializes in child sexual exploitation crimes.

A source close to the investigation said the deputy had contacted a person he thought was an underage girl over the Internet and later made arrangements for them to meet. But the source said the supposed minor turned out to be an undercover officer.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s spokesman Mark Bailey said Brown has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of the case. He said the deputy faces charges related to misuse of the Internet but could not give specifics.

Sheriff’s officials declined to discuss the circumstances of the arrest and could not say whether Brown remained in custody or had been released on bail.