SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A former officer who was with the Scranton Police Department has been charged with the rape of several students from West Scranton High School.
A criminal affidavit states that Stephen Carroll drugged and raped multiple students while acting as a School Resource Officer at West Scranton High School.
The alleged crimes are said to have taken place between September of 2009 and November of 2017.
PA Attorney General Michelle Henry states that Carroll was a member of the Scranton Police Department at the time the charges occurred, but is no longer employed by the department.
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Scranton Police Chief Thomas Carroll also weighed in on Friday's arrest:
The alleged crimes are without a doubt reprehensible and completely contrary to the core values of our department and our officers.
Scranton Police Chief Thomas Carroll
You can find the full statement at the bottom of this article.
At least five victims are mentioned in the affidavit, with three said to be students at West Scranton High School at the time of the assaults.
"Everyone in our society needs to be held accountable and the arrest is the first step in potential justice being served in this case," stated Scranton Mayor Paige Cogenetti.
Carroll currently faces the following charges:
4 counts - Unlawful contact with a minor
3 counts - Rape
2 counts - Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse
2 counts - Criminal attempt - Aggravated indecent assault
3 counts - Sexual assault
11 counts - Indecent assault
7 counts - Corruption of minors
3 counts - Criminal use of a communication facility
5 counts - Official oppression
3 counts - Institutional sexual assault
1 count - Harassment
1 count - Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse
1 count - Statutory sexual assault
Carroll's bail is set at $500,000. A preliminary hearing is set for January 3, 2025.
The Scranton School District also issued the following statement:
The School District has just become aware that a former School Resource Officer (SRO) has been charged with multiple sexual offenses against minors.The school district is unaware of the names of the victims. Stephen J. Carroll was a Scranton Police Officer assigned to the Scranton School District.He last worked at the District in 2018. The District is lending its full cooperation to police.
Scranton School District
The full statement from Scranton Police Chief Thomas Carroll can be found below.
CHIEF-OF-POLICE-STATEMENTDownload
