ATLANTA — An Atlanta Police Department officer accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl after responding to a car accident was denied bond in court on Tuesday.
Court records show a judge determined Anderson poses a "significant threat or danger" to persons and the community as well as a "significant risk of intimidating witnesses."
Anderson was arrested in early October. The alleged assault occurred after the girl was involved in a wreck in Atlanta in early August, with warrants alleging he withheld medical attention from the girl following the accident as he forced multiple sex acts on her.
Warrants for his charges of aggravated sodomy and aggravated sexual battery describe how he forced himself on her "without her consent" and forced her to perform a sex act.
The charge states that Anderson "knowingly with criminal negligence did cause a child under the age of 18 cruel or excessive physical or mental pain by not having medical personnel check the victim for injuries after a car accident despite medical personnel arriving on the scene."
The Atlanta Police Department said the teen later reported the assault to Gwinnett County Police, and APD was notified on Aug. 11 when Gwinnett Police questioned the officer and an internal investigation was opened; Anderson was removed from field operations.
Anderson is suspended without pay pending currently, APD confirmed to 11Alive.
“Not only am I disturbed and disappointed by these allegations, but it also angers me,” APD Chief Darin Schierbaum said in a statement after Anderson's arrest. “We ask the public to trust us to do the right thing, to keep them safe. So, when one of our own is accused of despicable acts with a minor, it erodes that trust that sometimes takes years to build."
A preliminary hearing for Anderson's case has been set for Dec. 8 at 2 p.m.