CMHA police

A Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority police officer has been indicted on sexual battery charges that accuse him of in appropriate relationships with teenagers in the Police Explorers Program.

(cleveland.com file photo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority police officer is charged with sexually abusing a teenage boy in the department's Police Explorers Program and having inappropriate relationships with three more teens.

A Cuyahoga County grand jury on Friday charged 26-year-old Christopher Collins with two counts sexual battery, one count of attempted sexual battery, four counts of endangering children, four counts of contributing delinquency of child, five counts of underage alcohol use, one count of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles and one count of obstructing official business.

CMHA police arrested Collins about 30 minutes after the indictment was handed up. He is scheduled for a Monday arraignment.

"This individual exhibited symptoms of a predator," CMHA Police Chief Andy Gonzalez.

The investigation into Collins started in January when Gonzalez first got a complaint alleging the officer was having sending inappropriate text messages with a minor, Gonzalez said.

The next day, Gonzalez placed Collins on paid administrative leave and assigned a detective in the internal affairs department to investigate, he said. The detective interviewed the child with her family.

Gonzalez then decided to look into the officer's work in the Police Explorer's Program and uncovered the allegations that led to Friday's indictment.

The indictment says Collins, who was hired in late 2013, twice had sexual contact with the boy, in May and June of 2014.

Investigators also found that Collins went on a CMHA-sanctioned trip to an out-of-town conference, bought alcohol for the teenagers and shared it with them in their hotel rooms, Gonzalez said.

Collins was suspended without pay Friday after charges were filed.

CMHA started the Police Explorers Program in 2011 as a way to connect officers with teenagers and the communities they serve.

"This individual does not represent the men and women of our department," Gonzalez said.

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