Florida man trying to get job as police officer blurts out that he sexually abused girl, nine, during interview

A Florida man who was attempting to become a cop wound up in jail himself due to his admission during the hiring process - where he revealed he had committed sexual assaults against a nine-year-old girl.

Stephen Roland Bodley, 26, seriously incriminated himself during a 2021 interview with the Apopka Police Department, in which he admitted to behavior that led to a felony conviction at trial in Orange County, Florida last week.

Bodley was convicted of committing sexual battery of a child under the age of 12 when the defendant was not yet 18.

The young man was found guilty largely due to admissions he previously made during his police department application process - though at trial, he denied committing the abuse.

Stephen Bodley, 26, will be sentenced next month after being convicted by a jury of sexually abusing a child during his teenage years

Prosecutors explained to a jury: 'On June 16, 2021, Bodley was conducting a job interview at the Apopka Police Department for a position that he applied for as a sworn police officer. The certified voice stress analysis examiner performed a voice stress examination on Bodley. 

'During the examination, the examiner asked Bodley to expand on concerning answers he provided in a pre-test questionnaire.

'In it, Bodley described sexually abusing a child several years ago. He admitted the same when the examiner asked him to explain further.'

Bodley, according to prosecutors, admitted to abusing the juvenile victim on 'three separate occasions.'

The abuse, according to an affidavit supporting Bodley's arrest, alleged that the abuse took place between 2012-2016, when the defendant was 12-13 years of age.

In a questionnaire Bodley filled out during the application process, he said he had when asked if he'd ever 'sexually assaulted anyone.' 

He also wrote that the assaults occurred in his home in Apopka.

He wrote, according to the affidavit, that, when he was 12-13 years old, he would 'play sex games with [redacted] and she didn't fully understand what was happening.'

The 'Voice Stress' analysis examiner asked Bodley to elaborate on the claims he'd made on the questionnaire, which he did.

He then described the disturbing 'little sexual games' he would play with a younger female member of his family.

'She didn't know fully what was going on, and I used to watch porn a lot, so I had like a little addiction when I was younger,' he said.

He clearly stated over and over again that he knew what he was doing at the time, while the victim did not.

Oddly, Bodley made the confession about his criminally sordid past during part of his interview process to work for the Apopka Police Department

Bodley was convicted following a jury trial last week. He will be sentenced on June 24

The victim's mother, with whom the police got in touch, said she's known Bodley 'since he was a baby,' and never suspected him of committing such terrible deeds.

'She stated Defendant Bodley took a personal interest in her daughter, but thought it was a normal familial relationship,' read court documents.

The victim of the abuse originally said she was unable to remember anything, but eventually 'remembered the assaults, as Bodley described them, in his bedroom when she was around 10 years old.'

'The victim stated it happened multiple times on different days in the Defendant’s room.'

Police officers ultimately concluded that based 'on the disclosure made by the victim, Defendant Bodley was well into his teenage years when he began sexually battering the to child. This behavior continued throughout his teenage years into adulthood.

'A reasonable teenager would know this behavior is unacceptable, which was supported during Defendant Bodley’s pre-test interview disclosure that he knew he was taking advantage of his and that she did not or would not have understood what he was doing to her.'

Bodley is due back in court for his sentencing hearing on June 24.