Advisor to Anaheim Police Explorers Faces Charge of Sex With Recruit, 17

A veteran police officer who supervises Anaheim’s Explorer program was charged with having a sexual encounter with a 17-year-old recruit, authorities said Wednesday.

Jason David Rosewarne, 31, of Corona was ordered by the district attorney’s office to appear for arraignment at West Orange County Superior Court in Westminster on Friday.

He was charged Oct. 25 with one felony count of oral copulation with a minor, said Susan Schroeder, spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office.

If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison.

Rosewarne had been with the Anaheim Police Department for seven years, serving first as a dispatcher, then as a patrolman, officials said.

He and the girl, who was not identified because of her age, were at an Explorer social outing Aug. 22 when the incident occurred, Schroeder said.

Rosewarne was placed on administrative leave. Anaheim police are conducting an internal investigation, said Sgt. Mike Hidalgo.

Rosewarne was the advisor to the department’s Explorer program for six months, officials said.

He oversaw about 50 recruits who volunteer to assist at the scenes of fires, fingerprint children, direct traffic and search for missing people.

The program is designed for students ages 14 to 21.