Wichita officer charged with alleged sexual exploitation of a child

A Wichita police officer has been charged for the alleged sexual exploitation of a child, Wichita police spokesperson Charley Davidson said Tuesday.

Thomas Wallace, who has been with the department five years, was placed on unpaid administrative leave Tuesday, pending the outcome of both a criminal and an internal investigation.

Wallace was arrested in February on suspicion of two counts of misdemeanor stalking. He was 29 at the time.

“The charging determination as to a second case involving an allegation of stalking is expected to be available later today,” Davidson said in a news release. “(Police) learned of Wallace possibly stalking a woman known to him, stemming from an investigation by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office ... that began late last year concerning another (Wichita Police Department) employee. The investigation into these allegations led to his arrest in February and the current charges.”

The sheriff’s office conducted that investigation in an effort to avoid any conflicts of interest.

This story was originally published June 15, 2021 at 9:59 AM.