DC officer accused of sex abuse now facing child porn charge

A new charge was filed in federal court against a D.C. police officer and pastor already facing sex abuse charges.

At a status hearing Tuesday morning, it was revealed that investigators allegedly discovered several images on Darrell Best's phone that constituted child pornography.

Best was charged with production of child pornography, a federal offense, and made his first court appearance on this charge in U.S. District Court.

The 45-year-old police veteran was arrested in March and charged with sexually abusing two teenagers. One of the alleged incidents happened inside police headquarters.

According to court documents released on Tuesday, a 16-year-old victim reported to police that Best took sexually explicit photos of her with his cell phone and sexually assaulted her numerous times between December 23, 2014 and February 14, 2015 at the Southeast D.C. church he worked at as a pastor.

The photos were discovered by Best's fiancée and she showed them to the victim, who acknowledged she was being sexually abused by Best, documents say.

After his arrest in March, Best's phone was seized and it contained seven images of the 16-year-old victim, according to the court documents.

The judge told Best that he could be sentenced to 50 years in jail for one count and could face up to life in prison for two or more counts.

Best has been in custody since the sex abuse charges were filed in March.

He is due back in federal court next Tuesday for a preliminary hearing.

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