A misdialed cell phone call that allowed a mother to hear her daughter being sexually abused has led to the arrest of a Midlands law officer on sex charges, Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews said Wednesday.

Kershaw County sheriff’s investigators early this morning arrested a Fairfax police officer for criminal sexual conduct with a child under 11.

The suspect, Nakia Kerrien Johnson, 36, was a former Kershaw County sheriff’s deputy and a former Lee County sheriff’s deputy.

Sheriff Matthews said the arrest happened this way:

On Tuesday, around 10 p.m., deputies responded a call from the victim’s mother. She said her daughter had gone to the store with the suspect. While the girl was gone, the suspect inadvertently dialed the mother on his cell phone.

When the mother answered, she began to overhear a sexual encounter involving her daughter and the suspect.

At that point, the victim’s mother repeatedly called the suspect, demanding he bring her home. He did.

At that time, the mother called law enforcement. Questioning revealed that the girl had been assaulted for several years.

“Criminal sexual conduct against children are in themselves very disturbing crimes. The fact that a police officer, someone who is charged with protecting and serving the public, makes this crime even more disturbing, “ said Matthews. “I don’t believe in coincidences or luck, but this criminal activity would have gone on and on if Johnson had not accidentally dialed the victim’s mother who was able to hear what was going on.”

Johnson is currently being held at the Kershaw County Detention Center where he is awaiting a bond hearing.

Reach Monk at (803) 771-8344.