Ex-Detroit Police Officer Found Guilty Of Sexual Assaults
DETROIT (WWJ) - A former Detroit Police Officer has been found guilty of preying on underage girls.
An Oakland County jury has found 46-year-old Geoffrey Townsend guilty on six counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. He's due back in court on Sept. 23 for sentencing, when he faces up to 15-years in prison.
Townsend was accused of statutory rape involving girls who were involved in his boot-camp for troubled teens called "Reality Check Detroit," which was operated outside his employment as a police officer.
In total, Townsend was accused of having sex with five girls he met through Reality Check Detroit, and jurors heard testimony from each of them, The Oakland Press reported. However, the charges against Townsend were only focused on two of the victims.
Investigators said the girls were between the ages of 13 and 15 when Townsend had sex with them between October 2010 and August 2012 at his Farmington Hills home. One of the girls reportedly told investigators she had sex with Townsend more than 50 times over two years.
Prosecutors painted Townsend as a serial predator who purposely targeted young troubled girls.
"The defendant was able to commit the crimes he committed ... because people trusted him," Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Tricia Dare said during closing arguments. "He knew what to say to parents to earn their trust. Once he got their trust it opened a whole other door for him."
The defense argued that the girls made the allegations because they were looking for money and questioned why the girls waited so long to report the assaults.
Townsend resigned from the Detroit Police Department in April after the charges were filed against him.
