The arrest and federal indictment of longtime police officer John Little on charges of possessing child pornography is a sad development for the Oak Harbor Police Department and entire community.

When the report of Little’s arrest broke in the Whidbey News-Times, the responses were swift and ran the gamut.

Some people expressed outrage that Little, a one-time Oak Harbor High School resource officer, had worked so closely with children. They worried about the welfare of their own kids.

Others expressed pure shock and sadness because they know Little and were stunned by the few details being released.

And there were those who were adamant that any discussion of the arrest should be muted out of respect for Little and his family.

Which leads to the question, why must the newspaper cover these kinds of stories?

First and foremost, the public has a right to know, especially when an arrest involves a public servant in a position of trust, such as a police officer.

The newspaper is obligated to report those facts.

Of course, Little is innocent until proven guilty. However, the information shared so far by investigators is compelling.

Little is accused of communicating with a 13-year-old girl and sending sexually explicit photos and messages. Some of the details of the alleged crime in the FBI report are explicit and disturbing.

The newspaper reporter’s challenge is to not sugarcoat those details while avoiding being graphic.

Secondly, there may be more than one victim. News coverage may lead others to come forward.

Our children are taught from an early age to respect authority figures, and to do as their told. They believe a police officer will protect them, not harm them. Sex crime victims may not step forward, either because they are convinced nobody will believe them, or they are afraid.

When the alleged perpetrator is a police officer, these are not unreasonable fears.

As for the families of sexual offenders, they deserve our sympathy. They are often also victims by association. But it was not articles about the crimes that get published in the newspaper that are the cause of their grief, but rather the actions of their loved ones.

If Little is convicted of the crimes of which he is accused, it will be he alone that will bear the responsibility of causing inconceivable damage and pain to the victim and his family.

Any attempt to shift that blame would be unconscionable,  self-serving and misguided.