A major crimes investigation in Anne Arundel County has yielded charges for a 13-year veteran detective who’s accused of sexually harassing, abusing, soliciting prostitution from and extorting multiple women.
The department said today that charges have been filed against Det. Brian Houseman, 44, for his alleged on-duty dirty deeds committed over a months-long period late last year and early this year.
The investigation of Houseman began when a woman complained late last month that he had been assigned to a case involving her in November 2016 and began contacting her after they met. The woman said Houseman made “unwanted sexual advances” toward her, sent her a picture of his private parts and eventually successfully persuaded her to have sex with him in exchange for “put[ting] in a good word” for an arrestee who she knew.
Following up with her complaints, Sex Offense Unit investigators found evidence linking Houseman to the alleged crimes, as well as other misconduct involving three additional women.
In one case on Feb. 9, police say Houseman was tasked with investigating a stalking complaint, and soon after began texting a female suspect. With they never engaged in any “intimate contact,” according to police, Houseman is said to have texted the woman inappropriate comments while on duty.
In two other cases, one on March 10 and another on April 19, police say their detective solicited prostitution from women, once again while he was on duty. In the March case, police say Houseman met up with the woman in the Brooklyn area and paid her for sex acts. In the April case, he and the woman allegedly negotiated a sexual transaction, but it never transpired.
With all this evidence, prosecutors were able to charge Houseman with fourth-degree sex offense, second-degree assault, two counts of soliciting prostitution, four counts of misconduct in office and extortion by a government employee.
Court records list all of his alleged offenses as misdemeanor charges. (Extortion could be a felony worth 10 years’ minimum jail time if the value is worth over $1,000.) They also say he has an attorney, been don’t list his or her name.
Houseman, a 13-year veteran of the department, was arrested last night, police say. He’s been assigned to desk duty pending both the outcome of prosecution and an internal investigation by the department.
The department issuing a statement condemning the alleged behavior by one of its own:
The offenses alleged to have been committed by this officer are a betrayal of the values of the Anne Arundel County Police Department and the policing profession. The men and women of the Anne Arundel County Police Department work hard to maintain the trust of the community and will always hold police department employees accountable for any actions that are inconsistent with providing the highest level of professional law enforcement services.
Anyone else with information on other incidents involving Det. Houseman can call the Anne Arundel County Sex Offense Unit at 410-222-4732. Anonymous tipsters can call the department’s tip line at 410-222-4700 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
