Second deputy in former youth program charged with molesting teen

<p>A woman who says she was molested as a teen by a sheriff's deputy is the second participant in a now-defunct Oglethorpe County youth program to report having sex with a deputy while in the program.</p><p>The woman was 15 when she participated in the Oglethorpe County Junior Law Enforcement program _ or Explorers _ in 2003. That's when former Oglethorpe County deputy Brian Walter Anderson is alleged to have had a sexual relationship with her.</p><p>Anderson, 26, a University of Georgia police officer for the past two years, was charged Tuesday with child molestation, aggravated child molestation and violating his oath of office.</p><p>Anderson had repeated sexual contact with the girl about 4 1/2 years ago, said University of Georgia Police Chief Jimmy Williamson.</p><p>Another deputy in former Sheriff Jason Lowe's administration, Samuel Roy Wilbanks, pleaded guilty to aggravated child molestation in 2004 for having repeated sexual contact with a girl who participated in the Explorers program between November 2003 and April 2004.</p><p>Wilbanks, now 34, was sentenced to 7 years in prison.</p><p>Current Oglethorpe Sheriff Mike Smith said Anderson remained a deputy with Oglethorpe County for about a year after Smith took office, then left voluntarily. Smith said he had no indication of any wrongdoing by Anderson during that time.</p><p>Anderson resigned Tuesday, the same day he was arrested. He was being held Wednesday in a jail outside of Oglethorpe County, according to Smith.</p><p>Young Explorer participants were allowed to ride alone with deputies as part of the program, which was designed to let young people explore a possible law enforcement career.</p><p>Smith said he shut down the ride-along program when he took office in 2005, and the Explorer program subsequently ended due to lack of interest.</p><p>The family of Wilbanks' young is suing Oglethorpe County, former Oglethorpe Sheriff Lowe and others in federal court.</p><p>According to the family's complaint, Wilbanks met the girl while working security at a high school football game and later provided her alcohol and convinced her to have sex with him in a patrol car.</p><p>The relationship continued for months, according to the court documents.</p><p>Police have released few details so far about the charges against Anderson.</p><p>After the victim contacted UGA police about three weeks ago, Williamson contacted Smith and the two agreed that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation should be brought in, Smith said.</p><p>Williamson said UGA police and GBI agents investigated the victim's claims for about 20 days before charging Anderson.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x2dec180)</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2007/8/92495