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Bakersfield Highway Patrol officer charged with alleged attempted sexual offense against a minor

Posted at 5:28 PM, Jul 24, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-24 23:26:23-04

Charges have been filed against a California Highway Patrol officer in the Bakersfield area.

According to a District Attorney, Brian Pardue is being charged for allegedly attempting to commit a sexual offense against a minor.

Pardue's offical charges are a felony, for attempting to contact a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense. And a misdemeanor for arranging a meeting with a person believed to be a minor intending to commit a sexual offense.

The incident is believed to have happened on July 3, 2020, and involved digital communications with an undercover law enforcement officer pretending to be an underage minor.

The California Highway Patrol Bakersfield Area commander, Captain Scot Loetscher, provided the following statement Friday:

“The CHP is aware of the arrest of Officer Brian Pardue by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office for alleged behavior that occurred while the employee was off duty. The CHP continues to fully cooperate with the investigating agency and we are conducting our own investigation into the allegations. I want to assure the public that we take any allegation of misconduct by our employees, whether on or off duty, very seriously."

“I also want to emphasize to the public that the alleged conduct of this employee does not reflect the values, hard work, dedication and professionalism of the CHP and its more than 11,000 employees, who proudly work each day to provide the best in Safety, Service, and Security to the people of California.”

Pardue has entered a not guilty plea, posted bail for $52,500, and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for September 16, 2020.