A Washington County sheriff's sergeant twice went to Idaho last year to have sex with a 15-year-old boy he met through a dating app and exchanged explicit texts with him, according to court records released Friday.

Sgt. Michael E. Alexander, 45, is charged with two counts of lewd conduct with a minor child under 16 and one count of enticing a child over the Internet or other communication device.

Alexander is being held in the Canyon County jail in Idaho on $1 million bail.

Michael E. Alexander

The sergeant last month texted the boy a picture of himself dressed in uniform and in his office, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Canyon County District Court. The two also exchanged text messages, including nude photos, the affidavit says.

Alexander has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, said Sgt. Bob Ray, a Washington County Sheriff's Office spokesman.

The Meridian Police Department in Idaho began investigating Alexander on Feb. 28 after the boy's mother discovered inappropriate text messages on her son's cellphone between Alexander and the boy, said Deputy Chief Tracy Basterrechea.

"We started our investigation very quickly," Basterrechea said in a telephone interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive. "We were able to identify Mr. Alexander very quickly."

Alexander is accused of meeting the boy through the dating app Grindr last March, according to the affidavit. The boy's Grindr profile said he was 18, and he also told Alexander that was his age, according to a statement the boy made to police. But a detective notes in the affidavit that the boy looks 15 and appears immature for his age.

Alexander immediately asked to meet the boy for sex while the boy was vacationing with his family on the Oregon coast, according to the affidavit. But the boy turned down the offer.

The two continued to text, the boy told police, and then last June, when the teen's father was gone, Alexander met the boy at the father's home in Canyon County, the affidavit says. Alexander asked the boy then whether he was really 18 before having sex with him, the boy told police.

Alexander and the boy talked about meeting again for sex over text messages, the affidavit says, and Alexander went back to Idaho in September. The sergeant parked his pickup down the street from the boy's home, according to the affidavit, and the boy sneaked out around midnight. Alexander then allegedly had sex with the boy behind a store.

On Feb. 11, Alexander sent the boy a photograph of himself in uniform and a photo of a tattoo on his arm, the affidavit says. The boy responded that he would be traveling to Portland for an upcoming event.

"Come back to Portland along so I can spend the night with u!! Alone*" Alexander replied, according to court records.

A few days later, Alexander and the boy exchanged graphic messages, the affidavit says.

On Feb. 27, Alexander texted, "Hey u. How's my boy"

But the boy's mother responded instead.

"He's grounded," she wrote. "He is not going to have his phone anymore. My 15 year old son will not have a social life for a long time."

Alexander, according to court records, replied, "If that was true I would believe u. However I saw his license. Nice try."

The mother texted back, "Well his birthday is (redacted). He doesn't even have his license."

Alexander replied, "lol. Ok."

The mother then said she hoped Alexander wasn't a man who was being inappropriate with boys, according to the affidavit.

Alexander responded, "Have him call me when he is free please."

She replied that her son would not be doing that.

Meridian police told the Washington County Sheriff's Office about the investigation into Alexander on Monday, Basterrechea said.

"Of course, it's shocking to us when we found it was a law enforcement officer involved in this," Basterrechea said. "For a profession that we certainly believe is noble, it affects us all when someone tarnishes the badge. That's hard to deal with."

When investigators asked Alexander about his contact with the boy, the sergeant wouldn't talk about it, according to the affidavit.

On Thursday, Meridian police investigators, assisted by Lake Oswego police, served a search warrant on Alexander's Lake Oswego home, Basterrechea said.

Alexander wasn't at home, then drove to Idaho when he found out police were searching his home and they had a warrant for his arrest, Basterrechea said.

There's no indication that Alexander had sexual contact with other children, Basterrechea said, but authorities are continuing their investigation.

The lewd conduct felony comes with a maximum sentence of life in prison in Idaho, Basterrechea said. The enticing a child felony comes with a maximum sentence of 15 years, he said.

Alexander is scheduled to appear in court again on March 15.

"The charges against Mr. Alexander are extremely serious," Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett said in a statement. "I have great confidence the judicial process will determine the truth and ensure an appropriate outcome based on the facts. Allegations such as these against any officer tarnish the great work law enforcement officers do daily and that's enormously disappointing. The public rightly expects very high standards of conduct in the law enforcement profession, and I remain committed to holding all staff accountable for their conduct, whether on or off duty."

Alexander has spent 19 years with the sheriff's office and has worked in a number of different posts.

He was currently assigned as the patrol sergeant in Cornelius. The city contracts with Washington County for law enforcement services. Alexander also served as the sergeant of the county's Crisis Negotiation Unit.

Previously, he worked as the supervisor for the K9 unit at the sheriff's office. He was featured in a story in The Oregonian/OregonLive when his drug dog, Blade, retired.

Alexander's arrest comes at a time when several people tied to the agency have faced criminal allegations during the past year.

In January, former sheriff's Sgt. Dan Cardinal pleaded no contest to official misconduct in Washington County Circuit Court for engaging in sexual activity while on duty. Cardinal, who resigned from the agency last May, received probation.

Another former deputy, Cpl. Jon Christensen, has been accused of coercing a co-worker into continuing a sexual relationship with him, according to records. Christensen, who was fired from the sheriff's office in August, was arrested in December and charged with coercion, strangulation, fourth-degree assault and official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty and his case is pending in Washington County Circuit Court.

-- Rebecca Woolington

503-294-4049; @rwoolington