PINECREST, Fla. – A Pinecrest police officer remains in jail Saturday morning after being accused of having sex with a 16-year-old girl.
Kevin McKenzie, a 13-year veteran, was arrested at his home early Friday.
"She was a witness in a case that he was investigating and thereafter struck up a relationship with her," said Assistant State Attorney Laura Adams.
According to an arrest affidavit, McKenzie, 38, had sex with the girl four times. He also gave her a cell phone "that she could use to communicate with him exclusively," said Adams.
McKenzie was charged with unlawful sexual activity with a certain minor. His bond is $200,000.
"Officer McKenzie has violated the public trust, dishonored his oath of office, and tarnished the badge," said a Pinecrest Police Department news release.
McKenzie was relieved of duty without pay. He'll be recommended for dismissal, according to the department.
McKenzie immigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica when he was eight years old, according to an article in The Pinecrest Tribune. He graduated from Sunset Senior High School 1994, then attended Miami Dade College and studied real estate.
McKenzie said his brother, an officer in the Homestead Police Department, influenced him to go into law enforcement. The Pinecrest Police Department hired McKenzie after he graduated from the Palm Beach Community College Police Academy.
He also worked as a fashion model.