Dallas police officer arrested on aggravated sexual assault of a child charge

A Dallas police officer was arrested this week on a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child, the department announced Wednesday.

Officer Brennon Wilkinson, 28, was detained Monday by Arlington police in connection with the allegations. Tim Powers, Wilkinson’s attorney, told The Dallas Morning News that he’s been working on the case for about a month and “the evidence to me shows that he is innocent of these charges.”

He said the allegations pertain to an incident that occurred when Wilkinson was 18 years old and was back home from U.S. Army service for Christmas. Powers said he believes there’s a “hidden agenda” that is the rationale for the outcry, but he did not detail why.

“I believe at the end of the day that he will be found to be completely innocent,” Powers said. “It’s a false outcry.”

Arlington police spokesperson Tim Ciesco said the department was alerted by Denton County authorities that a suspect connected to a Little Elm sexual assault case might be in Arlington.

Officers found Wilkinson in the 2600 block of Vanessa Circle, near South Bowen Road, and took him into custody without incident, Ciesco said. He was booked in the Tarrant County Jail, where he remained Wednesday with bail set at $200,000, according to jail records.

Ciesco referred inquiries about the allegations to Little Elm police. A spokesperson for Little Elm referred a reporter to file an open records request for the arrest warrant details.

The News filed record requests about Wilkinson in July, but the Dallas Police Department’s open records unit did not fill all of them as of early Wednesday afternoon. A letter dated July 18 obtained by The News alerted Wilkinson that the department was placing him on administrative leave, but did not detail the allegations.

Aggravated sexual assault of a child is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 99 years in prison or life in prison. Indecency with a child (sexual contact) is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. Indecency with a child (exposure) is a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Wilkinson was assigned to the North Central Patrol Division and has been with the department since January 2020, Dallas police officials said. He continues to be on administrative leave while under investigation.

On Wednesday, the department also announced the unrelated arrest of a Dallas police officer who faces a misdemeanor family violence charge. Sr. Cpl. Raneen Bazzi is on administrative leave, police officials said.