CLEVELAND – Bond was set at $10,000 for the Cleveland police officer accused of sexual battery.
Maria K. Velez, 24, pleaded not guilty in court Friday morning. She has also been indefinitely suspended without pay from the Cleveland Police force after her arrest Thursday.
The incident is alleged to have occurred back in 2015 when Velez worked as a bilingual paraprofessional teacher’s aide at Clark Elementary School. While there, she allegedly had sex multiple times with a 13-year-old boy, according to Cleveland.com.
In December that year, Velez resigned from her position and joined the Cleveland Division of Police.
An investigation into the charges began last month. Documents state that when Velez learned of the investigation, she allegedly asked the boy to lie to detectives for her.