CLAYTON - A St. Louis County police officer was charged Wednesday with three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy after he was accused of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a teenage girl more than 10 years ago.

Cedric K. Webb, 44, of the 2000 block of Carrie Way Lane in north St. Louis County, resigned from the department when confronted with the allegations, chief Tim Fitch said.

Webb was most recently a patrol officer in the North County precinct. He met the victim shortly after he joined the force in 1999 because she was a habitual runaway and Webb tried to mentor her, but the relationship turned sexual, Fitch said.

Webb is accused of having the sexual relationship with the girl until 2003. It began when she was 14, Fitch said.

The alleged victim, now in her 20s, came forward Tuesday, telling police the relationship was consensual "but thought we needed to be aware of it," Fitch said. The woman recently saw Webb at a store and decided to tell police about the previous relationship.

Police began an internal investigation and interviewed Webb on Wednesday, when he admitted to "some of the conduct" and resigned. He was arrested at police headquarters and booked into the county jail, where he is being held on $25,000 cash-only bail.

"I'm not aware of any previous complaints against this officer, but it's always extremely disappointing that a person in a position of trust would violate the code of ethics," Fitch said.