A former Atlanta police officer must register as a sex offender after admitting to sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl he met on duty.
Bernett Collins, 43, was also sentenced to five years probation Monday by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kelly Amanda Lee, and cannot work as a police officer.
Collins, who was an APD officer for eight years prior to his 2010 arrest, entered guilty pleas to charges of sexual battery, distributing sexually explicit material to a minor and violation of oath of office, said a press release from the office of Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard.
Prosecutors said Collins met the victim during a call at the teen’s home and visited her and sent her text messages from January to early April 2010. He sent her explicit images of himself by phone and requested explicit photos from the girl.
The girl reported Collins to a school resource officer and he was arrested in May 2010. He was fired by APD in May 2012 for violating departmental policies.
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