Officer Michael Mangino, a 29-year veteran of the Aurora Police Department, has resigned amid accusations that he forced a 15-year-old runaway take sexually explicit photos of herself with his cell phone camera, the Aurora Sentinel reports. The former police officer has been charged with sexual exploitation of a child.
Back in March, Mangino, 50, was arrested after fellow police officers confiscated his cell phone and found not just nude photos of the runaway teen, but other sexually explicit photos and video of Mangino engaging in sexual acts with various women, possibly while on duty, according to 7News.
Mangino worked as a DARE officer, taught in six local elementary schools, and had contact with many children over the years, Fox31 reports. Although no other inappropriate behavior involving children has surfaced since his arrest, the news had both parents and Mangino’s students in shock, one parent told Fox31 at the time of the charges:
Oh my God, my wife called me and told me that it had happened and even our kids couldn’t believe it ‘cause they looked up to him and they basically said, ‘that was my hero.’
According to a statement made by the Aurora Police Department, Chief Daniel Oates said, “I am relieved that Mr. Mangino is no longer a police officer in this agency. The APD will continue to assist the District Attorney in a vigorous prosecution of the charges against him.”
CBSDenver reports that Mangino has been on administrative leave since the allegations first surfaced and faces multiple criminal charges in Adams County.
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