CHRISWARREN-COURT.JPG

Christopher Ramoan Warren appears in Clark County Superior Court in May.

(Brent Wojahn/The Oregonian)

A former Beaverton police officer, previously accused of sexual abuse, twice fired from the department and now charged with child rape, was not able to investigate sex crimes after a 2010 criminal inquiry, documents say.

Christopher R. Warren, 33, who was last fired from the Beaverton police force on Aug. 9, was investigated in 2009 on allegations that he sexually abused a girl while he was a teenager, records show. A 2010 internal investigation found that there was "probable cause to believe Christopher Warren committed the offenses." But because the victim was uncooperative, he was not prosecuted.

Warren, the internal inquiry found, lied during the criminal investigation. Based on the inquiry’s findings, the department determined that Warren was unable to perform his duties as a police officer. He was fired in 2011.

The investigation, which was heavily redacted, was released Thursday, Oct. 10, along with other personnel records related to Warren. The ex-cop is facing food stamp fraud and theft allegations in Washington County and a child rape charge in Washington state.

After Warren was fired in 2011, he was reinstated later that year, earning about $32 per hour. He was assigned as a desk officer, a position he kept until being placed on administrative leave on April 19 following his indictment on Washington County charges, records say.

The Oregonian in April requested documents related to internal investigations into Warren. The city denied the request, and The Oregonian filed an appeal with the Washington County District Attorney's Office, which ordered the release of some of those records in September.

The records include internal investigations, a letter of commendation and pay information. They show that Warren was the subject of three internal inquiries in the past three years.

The last internal investigation started after Warren’s April 19 arrest and was not released. The Oregonian has also requested that investigation, which the department has said led to Warren’s August termination.

A March inquiry resulted in a written warning, dated April 10 -- nine days before he turned himself in to authorities on the food stamp fraud accusations. The warning said he violated department rules related to job performance and evidence handling.

A 2010 internal inquiry followed the 2009 sex abuse investigation into Warren. As part of the internal investigation, he faced the following accusations: lying during the criminal investigation to avoid prosecution, obtaining police reports related to a child sex abuse investigation from another agency for his personal use, failing to report suspected child sex abuse committed by his friend and violating multiple other department policies.

Prior to that internal investigation, Washington County District Attorney Bob Hermann requested that Warren not be involved in any sex abuse investigations. In a letter to the department, he further wrote, “any prosecutions involving Officer Warren would be impacted and potentially compromised.”

The department determined in its internal inquiry that Warren could not perform his basic duties as a police officer. It also found:

Warren lied during the 2009 criminal investigation.

Warren obtained child sex abuse reports from the

Warren was unable to perform job duties related to investigating certain crimes or testifying as a witness in court.

Warren was likely a reserve officer when he learned of sexual abuse allegations involving his friend, and at the time he may not have been trained on mandatory reporting. Allegations that he failed his duty as a mandatory reporter were not sustained.

Warren was first fired from the department following that investigation. Under an agreement he reached with the city, Warren was reinstated several months later.

According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Warren applied for and received food stamps following his 2011 termination. Investigators believe Warren was living in Vancouver during part of the time he was receiving Oregon food stamps. After being reinstated by the department, Warren continued to collect food stamps for three months, according to the sheriff's office, and failed to tell the state about a $40,000 payment he received from Beaverton police for lost wages when he was reinstated.

After Warren’s April arrest in the Washington County case, he was accused of sexually abusing a 5-year-old relative. He has been charged in Clark County Superior Court with one count of first-degree child rape. Both cases are still pending.

-- Rebecca Woolington and Emily E. Smith