Former Police Officer Sentenced to 32 Months for Sexually Assaulting Minor

Former police officer Harris Walters was sentenced to 32 months in prison today after being found guilty of two counts of assaulting a minor. Senior Magistrate Tamia Richards handed down the sentence nearly ten months after Walters’ conviction, ruling that both sentences will run concurrently.

The charges against Walters stem from incidents dating back to 2014 and 2015. Prosecutors detailed that the first assault occurred in 2014, involving a child with whom Walters had a parent-child relationship. The court further heard that in July 2015, while accompanying the child to a police station on one of the territory’s sister islands, Walters engaged in inappropriate conduct. The child had traveled with him to visit a family friend.

Later that same month, prosecutors said Walters took the child to a hotel, where another act of assault occurred. The prosecution also revealed that he gave the child a sum of money.

The matter came to light when the child confided in her mother, leading to a police investigation. A subsequent medical examination at Dr. D. Orlando Smith Hospital corroborated the allegations. Walters was arrested and charged following the investigation.

Despite maintaining his innocence and pleading not guilty, Walters was convicted in the Magistrate’s Court and was initially released on $70,000 bail before sentencing.