SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A veteran Oviedo police officer is accused of repeatedly molesting a girl while she slept, according to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.
Joseph Meyer, 42, was arrested Sunday morning after deputies said a person told them Meyer had "disclosed to (them) that he had inappropriately touched (the victim)," according to the arrest report.
The witness told deputies Meyer said he "cuddled with (the victim) in her bed and fondled and groped her breast," the report states.
The victim confirmed that account to child protection team members, saying that Meyer groped her in bed multiple times when she went to his home every other weekend. She said the incidents happened when someone else in the home was at work, deputies said.
When Seminole County deputies met with Meyer, he requested an attorney and declined to answer their questions.
Meyer is charged with six counts of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child between the ages of 12 and 16 and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child less than 12 years old. He was booked into the John E. Polk Correctional Facility and held without bond.
"We take these things seriously," said Chief Dale Coleman from the Oviedo Police Department. Coleman held a press conference Sunday afternoon to address the charges Meyer face.
"[I'm] sickened, and acts of this nature are deplorable and I have a daughter so I can only imagine," said Coleman. "Everybody should be held accountable to the law and that includes law enforcement officers."
Police are calling the allegations an isolated incident. "The Sheriff’s Office had informed us that they believe this is an isolated incident so we don’t believe there are any other victims in this," said Coleman.
Meyer has been with the Oviedo Police Department since 2003 and has been twice disciplined for misusing a stun gun, department records show.
Meyer was placed on leave without pay pending the outcome of the criminal and internal investigations into the allegations.