LAUDERHILL, Fla. – A Broward Sheriff's Office deputy was arrested Thursday on accusations that he sexually assaulted a teenager, BSO confirmed on Friday.
Deputy Leon Campbell, 37, was arrested by Lauderhill police on charges of sexual assault on a victim who is 16 or 17, and promoting the sexual activity of a victim less than 16.
Campbell was released from jail Friday afternoon after posting a $15,000 bond. He refused to speak with Local 10 News reporter Jeff Weinsier as he left the jail.
According to an arrest warrant, Campbell targeted a teenage girl who is the daughter of a family friend and who was having issues at home.
Police said the 17-year-old girl moved in with her grandmother in May and the grandmother quickly became suspicious about her granddaughter's relationship with Campbell, who the girl's mother said was mentoring her daughter.
Authorities said the victim broke down in front of her grandmother as they met with a counselor at Plantation High School about her issues with attendance and performance, and confessed that she had lied about her whereabouts on numerous occasions.
Police said the teen confided that she had been in a sexual relationship with Campbell for about two years.
The two first had sex shortly after the victim's 15th birthday at Campbell's home, authorities said.
A friend of the victim's told authorities that Campbell tied the victim up, spanked her with a whip and tied a collar around her neck with a leash attached.
A black leather whip was found at the deputy's home, the warrant stated.
Authorities said phone records show that Campbell spoke to the victim on the phone hundreds of times.
BSO officials said Campbell, who works in the Pompano Beach area, has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the investigation.
"Deputy Leon Campbell's actions are a reflection of himself and not the hard-working, dedicated men and women of the Broward Sheriff's Office," Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said in a statement.
Campbell has been employed with BSO since January 2008.