Former police officer arrested on sexual solicitation charges

A former Maryland Police Officer is behind bars, after he reportedly solicited a minor for sex. The Delaware Department of Justice’s Child Predator Task Force says on February 27th, they arrested 37-year-old James Blankenship, and extradited him back to Delaware.

Investigators say Blankenship, a martial arts instructor in Newark working under the fake name of Mark Hafer, had started chatting with an undercover investigator on a social network, before the conversation moved to texting. Blankenship was reportedly told several times that he was talking with a minor, but said he was fine with it.

Police say in Maryland Blankenship had a previous conviction in 2006 for sexual abuse of a minor, and worked as a certified police officer at the time of that arrest. Blankenship was apparently using the false name to avoid being detected as registered sex offender.

He has now been charged with two counts of sexual solicitation of a minor, and is being held at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center on $100,000 cash bail.