A former Walters police officer pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a felony charge of lewd molestation of a then-15-year-old girl in 2010.

Eric Wayne Lemons, 25, of Walters, appeared in Cotton County District Court to face the charge. The crime is punishable by three to 20 years imprisonment, according to the charge.

Lemons is accused of touching the teenager in a lewd or lascivious manner on or between Nov. 9-23, 2010, according to the charge filed in court.

Police Chief Mike Carter said the case came to his office in September 2011; by then Lemons had left the department. He served about one year before leaving in early 2011. Investigators turned the case over to the district attorney's office, which sent it to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Carter said that because Lemons had been a police officer it was standard policy to let an outside agency investigate.

Read the Full Story...