Charges added for officer who allegedly sent inappropriate texts

WARREN — A former Detroit Police officer who allegedly sent inappropriate text messages to a 12-year-old has received additional charges and was bound over to Macomb County Circuit Court.

Earl Raynard Anderson Jr., 37, allegedly sent the texts to a girl from Warren in February. The Warren Police Department’s Special Victim’s Division handled the investigation. According to a press release from the department, Anderson sent “sexualized” messages to the girl late at night and in the early morning hours. The release states that Anderson attempted to delete the texts and asked the victim to do the same. Investigators recovered the texts and were able to confirm the girl’s account. A parent of the girl initiated the complaint about the texts. The release states Anderson was taken into custody March 3 “without incident.”

Anderson was originally arraigned on March 4 and charged with accosting a child for immoral purposes, a four-year felony, in 37th District Court.

Anderson had a preliminary exam in district court on April 8 where Judge Suzanne Faunce determined there was enough evidence for the case to go to trial, according to a press release from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s office. Anderson received an additional charge of using a computer to commit a crime at the April 8 hearing, following a motion from Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor Darrian Fortier.

Anderson is currently out of jail on a $50,000 bond.

“The safety and well-being of our children is our top priority. We should be able to trust police officers to protect our children, not prey on them,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said in a press release. “These charges reflect our commitment to holding offenders accountable, no matter their position, and ensuring justice for the most vulnerable members of our community.”

Brent Jaffe, Anderson’s attorney, did not respond for comment on the updated charges. He previously commented on the charges his client initially faced.

“As a dedicated Detroit police officer as well as a devoted husband and father, my client has served his community with integrity,” Jaffe said. “He is fully presumed innocent under the law, and we will vigorously defend him against this charge to ensure that justice prevails.”

Anderson will appear in Macomb County Circuit Court before Judge James Biernat Jr. at 1:30 p.m. April 21 for a pretrial conference.