UPDATE: See the Maricopa County Attorney's Office's explanation for not charging Balmaceda here.
A former Glendale cop accused of sexting several teenage girls, and sexually abusing another, won't be charged with any crimes.
Police recommended that former Glendale Officer Christopher Balmaceda be charged with one count of sexual abuse and four counts of luring a minor for sexual exploitation. However, the MCAO won't charge Balmaceda with any of the aforementioned offenses.
Glendale police started investigating Balmaceda in January after parents of a student at Mountain Ridge High School -- where Balmaceda had done off-duty work -- told police their daughter's friends were getting inappropriate text messages from Balmaceda.
Turns out, Balmaceda allegedly sent 3,600 text messages to five different girls between September 2010 and January of this year.
One of the girls, a 17-year-old, told police Balmaceda kissed her and touched her inappropriately.
According to an internal review of the case, first obtained by the Arizona Republic, Balmaceda admitted to kissing the 17-year-old, and sending inappropriate text messages to the other girls.
"Balmaceda admitted to me that from September 2010 through January 2011
he sent numerous sexually explicit text messages to four female Mountain
Ridge High School students for the purpose of gratifying a sexual
desire," a Glendale sergeant wrote in an internal review.
Glendale police stand by their investigation, telling New Times the agency's position is that it believes it found several "identifiable criminal acts" committed by the former officer.
"It's our position that our detectives conducted a very thorough investigation," Glendale Sergeant Brent Coombs tells New Times.
Coombs continued by saying "we don't have any say" in what the County Attorney's Office decides to do with the case.
MCAO spokesman Jerry Cobb ignored our request for an explanation is sending us an explanation of the MCAO's decision to not charge Balmaceda. Check back for updates.
