California Highway Patrol officer charged with sexual assault of 16-year-old girl

FREMONT — A California Highway Patrol officer has been charged with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl, authorities said Monday.

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office Monday charged 34-year-old Brian Watkins, of Fremont, with three counts of unlawful sexual assault against a minor, after Fremont police arrested him last week following a months-long investigation.

Fremont police said they began investigating Watkins in July 2019, after receiving a report of “alleged sexual misconduct involving Watkins” and a teenaged girl.

Watkins “began communicating and having a sexual relationship with the victim when she was 16 years old,” Fremont police said in a statement Monday afternoon.

Court charging documents say the alleged assaults happened on three separate dates between September and November of 2018. Police said that the activity “has been ongoing and continued after Watkins learned he was being investigated,” but recent unspecified developments allowed investigators to arrest Watkins.

Watkins was arrested around 5:45 p.m. on Feb. 6, and booked at the Fremont jail.

CHP San Jose area commander Capt. Jason Reardon said in a statement that Watkins had been placed on administrative leave and stripped of his peace-officer powers.

“The CHP continues to fully cooperate with the investigating agency and we are conducting our own investigation into the allegations,” Reardon said. “I want to assure the public that we take any allegation of misconduct by our employees, whether on or off duty, very seriously.”

Police said the sexual assaults appear “to have occurred primarily within the city of Fremont and not while Watkins was working in the capacity of a peace officer.”

Watkins was scheduled to be arraigned Monday afternoon in court on the three felony charges, and is has another court hearing on March 5, according to court records.

Police said they are continuing to investigate this case, and “although there has been no evidence of additional victims, we will continue to pursue all leads.”

Police said anyone with information about this case should contact Detective Tony Holguin at 510-790-6900 or via email Aholguin@fremont.gov.

Staff writer George Kelly contributed to this report.

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