CRIME & COURTS

Former police officer convicted of lascivious acts with child

Christopher Pratt
cpratt2@dmreg.com

A former police officer from South Carolina has been convicted on one count of engaging in lascivious acts with an Iowa child, stemming from evidence that he sent pictures of his genitalia to a Des Moines girl, Pleasant Hill Police announced today in a press release.

Andrew Allen Haney, 31, was a police officer with the West Columbia department until his arrest and termination in October 2013.

A joint investigation by officials in Iowa and South Carolina revealed that Haney engaged in Internet communications with a 13-year-old Des Moines girl that "were sexual in nature," according to the release.

Officials said Haney faces a mandatory prison sentence of five years, followed by supervised release and a fine. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

Police also announced Brian Andrew Harcourt, 32, of Deerfield, Mass., has been found guilty on one federal count of lascivious acts with a child.

Harcourt was arrested at a Pleasant Hill lake in September 2013. According to the release, he was found in the company of a 13-year-old Des Moines girl and admitted to communicating with the minor online for several weeks.

Harcourt also told officials that he traveled from Massachusetts to Pleasant Hill to meet the teen for sex. He faces similar penalties as Haney.

The Pleasant Hill Police Department is an affiliate of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program. The task force program has around 15 affiliates in Polk County.