Officer faces new charges

Danette Goulet

A former Huntington Beach police officer accused of molesting a

14-year-old girl while on duty now faces two additional charges of

soliciting lewd acts for allegedly asking women to expose themselves

during two separate traffic stops.

Mark Trachman, 36, of Riverside County, was arrested in May and

charged with fondling a teenage girl at her home during a police

interview in which she was reporting an incident of sexual abuse to him.

A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 19.

Trachman was fired from the department last week following

investigations into the two new charges, in which he allegedly asked the

women to expose their breasts. He had been on paid administrative leave

since his arrest in May.

Trachman has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.

Since his May 30 arrest two women have come forward with complaints

against Trachman.

“The two additional women heard through news media about the original

case and they came forward to say that he had commented on their breasts

and asked if he could see them,” said Tori Richards, a spokeswoman for

the Orange County district attorney’s office. “Both [women] complied

because he was in a position of authority and he had pulled them over for

seat belt violations.”Both cases have been thoroughly investigated, said

Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Matt Murphy.

“We did a preliminary hearing and on [Oct.] 19 we will have a hearing

on what’s called a ‘bind-over motion,”’ he said. “The defense will have

an opportunity to address court regarding the new charges.”

At that time Murphy hopes to have the new charges tacked onto the

charges of misconduct with a teenage girl and move on to the arraignment,

he said.

“My goal is to get state prison,” Murphy said.

Trachman has served with the city’s police force for the last two

years, following a three-year stint with the Los Angeles Police

Department, police said.

Authorities were notified of the alleged misconduct with the

14-year-old girl on May 22, by the girl’s parents, who complained about

the officer’s visit to their home a day earlier to take a crime report.

Prosecutors said Trachman persuaded the girl to remove her clothes,

then fondled her and asked her to touch herself.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Stephanie George is scheduled to

decide at the preliminary hearing whether Trachman should be tried on the

charges, which carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison.