SF police officer pleads not guilty to molestation

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A San Francisco police officer has pleaded not guilty to child pornography and molestation charges in Contra Costa County.

The decorated officer, 38-year-old Richard Hastings, is accused of molesting a teenager in Concord, but he claims the sex was consensual and that the victim purported to be 18 years old.

Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Bruce Mills reduced bail for Hastings to $100,000 from $910,000 against the objections of prosecutor Alison Chandler, who called Hastings a danger to the community.

The Contra Costa Times reports (https://bit.ly/1dKbpXG ) that Hastings was arraigned on Wednesday on nine counts of lewd acts on a 15-year-old boy and one count of possession of child pornography.

Hastings was suspended without pay from the San Francisco police department following his arrest.

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Information from: Contra Costa Times, https://www.contracostatimes.com