UPDATE: Westerman has been sentenced to home detention.

Original story below…

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ESSEX, MD—Authorities in Baltimore County have charged an Essex police officer with rape.

Officer Anthony Michael Westerman, 25, has been charged with two counts of second-degree rape and three counts of second-degree assault.

Westerman has been employed by the Baltimore County Police Department since 2013.

His most recent assignment was at the Essex Precinct.

This case was initiated when police in Baltimore County received information concerning the allegations. The Special Victims Unit conducted an investigation and ultimately pursued charges against Westerman.

According to Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt, “the allegations made in this case are reprehensible and are not representative of the values and ethics of the Baltimore County Police Department. As a result of a thorough investigation by the Baltimore County Police Department Criminal Investigations Bureau, the officer has been arrested and has been suspended without pay.”

Anthony Westerman is being held at the Baltimore County Department of Corrections on denied bail status.