Officer Charged With Sex Crimes

A King County police officer has been charged with several sex crimes involving a 16-year-old girl.

William Arthur Erdt, 48, was charged Friday with unlawful imprisonment, sexual exploitation of a minor, sexual misconduct with a minor, third-degree assault and communication with a minor for immoral purposes.

According to charging papers, Erdt told the girl another officer had seen her commit a traffic violation but agreed to let him handle the problem. He told her he had spoken with a judge, who told him the only way she could avoid going to jail was to duplicate jail conditions for her for 24 hours.

That was followed by a series of sexually compromising incidents, including one in which he forced the girl to undress in a makeshift cell inside a barn, and then checked her personal areas for contraband, court papers say.

Erdt, a patrol officer on Vashon Island and 24-year department veteran, was placed on paid administrative leave and released on his own recognizance.