A former Washington, D.C., police officer and pastor could be sentenced to 18 years in prison for sexually assaulting two teen girls.
Darrell Best, 45, pleaded guilty Thursday to the sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl at police headquarters and a 16-year-old girl at the church where he served as pastor. Best will be sentenced to 18 years in prison if the court approves his plea agreement.
The 16-year-old victim told police Best sexually abused her three times at the church beginning in December of 2014. He was off-duty during the incidents, police said. According to charging documents, Best was in uniform on one occasion when he raped the girl inside the church.
Best took at least seven sexually explicit pictures of the 16-year-old, according to the documents.
The second victim, who was 17 at the time of the alleged incident, said Best sexually assaulted her in his office on the fifth floor of police headquarters after he took her out to dinner, according to charging documents. He was wearing his badge and gun at the time.
During a previous hearing, prosecutors also revealed that Best sexually harassed a female cadet he supervised in 2007. He was demoted from sergeant to police officer for an incident of sexual misconduct while on duty in 2008, prosecutors added.
Best will be sentenced on Feb. 26, 2016.
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Defense attorney Elliott Queen, who has represented Best in the past, has not yet returned requests for comment.
