Former Cary Police Officer Pleads Guilty To Sex Charge

A former Cary police officer has pleaded guilty to a sex-related charge stemming from his relationship with a girl he met when he was assigned to Cary High School.

Robert Michael Maness received a 45-day suspended sentence and two years' probation. He also was ordered to turn in his certificate as a law enforcement officer while on probation, and he must pay the girl's father $5,000 for the girl's therapy.

Wake County prosecutor Doug Faucetts said the girl was 16, the age of consent in North Carolina, and the sex was consensual.

He said Maness and the girl had sexual contact four times, but didn't have intercourse.

Maness worked for the Cary police from 1995 until he was fired last year. He was dismissed for "detrimental personal conduct."