LA County Sheriff's Deputy Suspected of Child Sex Abuse

A deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has been arrested on suspicion of child sex abuse, authorities said.

The 51-year-old deputy could face charges including lewd or lascivious acts and committing oral copulation with a child under the age of 14, the department said in a news release late Friday.

The investigation by the sheriff's Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau and Special Victims Bureau began after authorities received a report of suspected child abuse, the department said.

Officials did not say when the investigation started or who the suspected victim was.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a statement that he was “appalled and saddened” by the allegations and committed to seeing justice served.