A former Stallion Springs police officer has pleaded no contest to sexually abusing a child.

James Best. Jr., 54, entered the plea Wednesday to two felony charges after prosecutors say he abused the girl for several years. She was between the ages of 9 and 16. She came forward to authorities in 2023.

Best admitted to sexual misconduct in a pretext phone call. He was arrested in August in Maine and was brought to Kern County.

Best and his wife were sentenced to felony probation in 2021 after pleading no contest to stealing from the Stallion Springs Police Activities League.

Best was in charge of the organization from 2017 to 2019. He resigned from the police department in 2019.