AICHI (TR) – Aichi Prefectural Police have arrested an officer over an alleged illicit encounter with a teenage girl earlier this month, reports the Asahi Shimbun (June 18).
On June 3, Kenzo Maeda, a 40-year-old assistant inspector, allegedly paid the girl, 15, to engage in acts deemed obscene inside a hotel in Kariya City.
Maeda, who has been accused of child prostitution, partially denies to the allegations. “I did not confirm whether her age was 18 or over,” the suspect was quoted by police.
According to police, the girl became acquainted with the suspect through a social-networking service. The matter emerged after she consulted with officers at a police box on the day after the encounter.
On June 14, an official vehicle driven by Maeda, who heads a division tasked with investigating robberies and similar crimes, plowed into the median of a road. The cause of the accident is under investigation, police said.
“With it being deeply regrettable that a police officer was arrested over such an incident, I offer a sincere apology,” a representative of the Aichi Prefectural Police said.
