Ex-officer admits to sexually abusing kids in youth program

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A former Kentucky police officer has been sentenced to five years in prison for sexually abusing two minors in the Louisville department’s now defunct youth program.

The Courier Journal reports Kenneth Betts pleaded guilty in state court Monday to third-degree sodomy and admitted to sexually abusing the minors while he worked as a program adviser.

His plea marked the end of the second criminal case stemming from sexual abuse in the program. He was sentenced in federal court last week to 16 years in prison for charges including enticement and child pornography. Betts said he exploited four minors he met through the program. The sentences will be served at the same time.

Betts resigned from the department in 2014 amid an investigation of “improper contact” with a female program member.

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Information from: Courier Journal, http://www.courier-journal.com