Ex-Cop Gets Probation for Child Sex Assaults

A former Honolulu police officer struck a plea deal that will keep him out of prison after sexually assaulting a child multiple times, according to multiple media reports.

Teddy O. Van Lerberghe, 45, was charged in 2017 with seven counts of sexual assault of a 5-year-old between the years of 2004 and 2008. Four of the seven charges were Class A felonies, which carry a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count.

On Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019, he agreed to a sentence of five years of probation with no jail time.

Van Lerberghe entered a plea of not guilty, which he changed to a plea of no contest after striking a deal with prosecutors in Honolulu. That deal included reducing his seven counts of sexual assault to four Class B felonies and three Class C felonies, punishable by up to 10 years and up to five years in prison, respectively.

Van Lerberghe initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea to no contest after reaching the deal with prosecutors that kept him out of a jail cell.

The ex-Honolulu officer, who was on the force for nine years before he was fired in 2016, is required to register as a convicted sex offender for the rest of his life.

The Honolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney told news sources it would not provide comment until after sentencing.