A Baltimore police officer was ordered to desk duty yesterday after an allegation surfaced that he had a "sexual encounter" with a teen-age male while on duty Wednesday evening, a department official and sources said.

Robert W. Weinhold Jr., a police spokesman, said the Internal Investigations Division is involved in the case.

He would not identify the teen or the officer, who he said is assigned to the Western District patrol.

Two command-level police sources said the alleged encounter involved a teen-age male and occurred after the officer took a police action against the teen, either arresting or briefly detaining him.

They would not divulge any other information, including where the alleged incident occurred, the exact nature of the sexual contact or the teen's age.

The sources said someone, possibly a relative of the teen, reported the alleged liaison.

"Investigators are trying to determine whether it was consensual or not," one police source said. Officials do not believe the two had a prior relationship.

The officer's police powers were revoked and his badge and weapon confiscated, as is standard procedure. Weinhold could not say how long the investigation could take.

"There is an allegation that an officer has been involved in a sexual encounter while on duty," is all Weinhold would say.

The command-level sources said the incident allegedly occurred Wednesday evening during the officer's patrol shift.

Pub Date: 7/03/98