PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — A former Portsmouth police officer has admitted sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl by force in 2019.

Cleshaun Cox, 31, entered the guilty plea on Friday in Norfolk federal court, according to the Department of Justice, two years after a judge rejected a previous attempt in which Cox tried to plead guilty to lesser charges of carnal knowledge and abduction.

“Police officers are entrusted to safeguard and protect our community, especially vulnerable children,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, in a press release. “Police officers are not above the law. Those who abuse their position to commit such abhorrent acts must and will be held accountable.”

According to court documents, Cox admitted that he sexually assaulted the girl on May 27, 2019, while in uniform and on duty. He encountered the victim while responding to a noise complaint, and later followed her to her home.

He then told her to meet him at a parking lot, where he told her to get into his squad car. Once inside, the victim was taken to an isolated area and sexually assaulted, prosecutors say.

Cox also admitted to lying to state investigators about the case. He originally said he didn’t know the victim’s age, and that she had proposed a sexual act to him, both of which were false, prosecutors say.

Cox could face at least 15 years and up to 20 years in prison when he’s sentenced on November 28.

“The defendant violated his oath and abused his power to sexually assault a child,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division. “The federal government will not tolerate law enforcement officials who commit acts of sexual assault and abuse, and we will continue to seek justice for the survivors of these heinous crimes.”

Following the guilty plea, FBI Norfolk Special Agent in Charge Brian Dugan posted the following statement on FBI Norfolk’s Twitter: