14 DAY TRIAL // A 28-year-old police officer with the Los Angeles PD has been arrested for abusing two children in his home.
According to the sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore, Miguel Schiappapietra abused two girls living near his home in Castaic.
He allegedly got the girls to come to his home by luring them there, KTLA specifies. There was no information on whether the children knew who he was beforehand.
Schiappapietra was well liked in his neighborhood, but had only moved there five weeks before.
Huffington Post mentions that he is married and a father of three. The small town of Castaic where he lives is located roughly forty miles (64.4 km) from the city of Los Angeles.
“Scary, that’s scary. This is such a quiet, mellow neighborhood,” resident Michelle Spreuer notes.
“You know, having children of my own and knowing there are other children in this neighborhood…I had no idea it was going on down there. It’s very disturbing,” neighbor Tim Rossi says.
Schiappapietra was arrested at his house on 28000 block of Branch Road in Castaic on Saturday, May 18.
The officer has been booked for suspicion of committing lewd acts with kids under the age of 10 years old, a spokesperson for the District Attorney's Office reports.
CBS Los Angeles informs that he was detained and transported to Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
He has the option of posting $100,000 (€77,400) bail, in which case he will be allowed to return to his house.
Detective Gus Villanueva adds that the officer is now facing an investigation by the LAPD. Schiappapietra has been with the force for six years and he is currently with the Foothill Division.
He has been suspended with pay until while the police internal inquiry and the criminal investigation on the felony charges are ongoing.