A former police officer charged
with sending sexually explicit text messages to a 13-year-old girl faces trial
in Cumberland County Court of Common Pleas after waiving charges to higher
court on Wednesday.
Daniel M. Lanious, 49, of
Carlisle, was charged with misdemeanor corruption of minors after an incident
that police said occurred between July and September 2013.
The affidavit of probable cause
said police were called on Sept. 17, 2013, for a report of Lanious sending the
messages to the girl. Police said he met her while volunteering at the South
Middleton Township Fire Company in Boiling Springs.
Police said the messages began
out of nowhere, after they believe the girl’s cellphone number was obtained
from her Facebook page. The girl said the messages quickly became very
flirtatious and sexual, with Lanious often stating that he wanted to have sex
with her, police said.
The messages stopped after the
girl’s mother found a message that read, “I wish you were home. I wish you were
on birth control. I have a condom,” and responded by text to Lanious that her
daughter was only 13, according to court documents.
When interviewed by police,
Lanious admitted to sending flirtatious and sexual text messages to the girl
and also admitted that he sent his son to the girl’s house to see whether or
not her mother planned to report the messages to police, documents state.
Lanious was a patrolman with
the Carroll Valley Police Department in Adams County until he resigned last
summer.
The charge was waived to the
higher court during a preliminary hearing Wednesday before Magisterial District
Judge Susan Day. A formal arraignment is scheduled for June 19. He was released
on his own recognizance.
John Geer