First plea deal comes out of Oakland sex exploitation scandal

Former Oakland Police Sergeant Leroy Johnson leaves a court appearance at the Fremont Hall of Justice on Oct. 31 in Fremont. Johnson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of failing to report child abuse. Former Oakland Police Sergeant Leroy Johnson leaves a court appearance at the Fremont Hall of Justice on Oct. 31 in Fremont. Johnson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of failing to report child abuse. Photo: Noah Berger, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Noah Berger, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 13 Caption Close First plea deal comes out of Oakland sex exploitation scandal 1 / 13 Back to Gallery

A retired Oakland police sergeant has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of failing to sound the alarm on child abuse that unraveled into a widespread sexual misconduct scandal involving the teenage daughter of a police dispatcher and the contact she had with officers and sheriff’s deputies from across the Bay Area.

An attorney for Leroy Johnson, 51, entered the plea on his behalf last month in Alameda County Superior Court, said Teresa Drenick, a spokeswoman for the district attorney. He was sentenced to three years of court probation and had to pay a $240 fine along with $150 to a restitution fund — both standard penalties.

Johnson, the only veteran Oakland police officer to be charged in the scandal, now lives in Texas. He and the teenager were family friends, prosecutors said.

With his sentence, he was ordered not to contact the young woman.

The teenager told Johnson in a Facebook message in September 2015 that she had sex with several of his colleagues in the Oakland Police Department, prosecutors said. According to an affidavit, the young woman saved a screen shot of their conversation and gave it to authorities.

“Tell me you were (an) adult,” Johnson said to the teenager, who at that point had turned 18, according to the affidavit.

“I’d (be) lying,” she responded.

Johnson is the first of six current and former officers charged by the Alameda County district attorney to have his criminal case settled. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, attorneys for the Richmond teenager at the center of the scandal are gearing up for what could be massive legal action against the cities and counties whose law enforcement officers were accused of inappropriate contact.

The scandal particularly jolted Oakland, whose police force went through three chiefs in less than two weeks amid revelations of widespread misconduct. After a months-long search, Anne Kirkpatrick, known by colleagues as a reformer, was selected as the new top cop. She will be sworn in later this month.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov