School resource officer drugged and sexually assaulted teens for years, PA officials say
_fitted.png "The former school resource officer is accused of sexually abusing five victims, Pennsylvania officials say.")
A former Pennsylvania police officer is accused of sexually assaulting teenagers for years while working at a high school, officials say.
Stephen J. Carroll, 49, was arrested on Friday, Dec. 20, on numerous charges, including rape, Lackawanna County court records show.
Formerly employed by the Scranton Police Department, Carroll served as a school resource officer at West Scranton High School, and he sexually abused five students during his time there, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office said in a news release.
The alleged abuse stretches back more than a decade, beginning in 2009, officials said, though recent evidence and interviews led to Carroll’s arrest.
“This public servant took an oath to protect his community and was specifically assigned to look out for the well being of students — instead he used his position of authority to groom and sexually assault multiple teenagers,” Attorney General Michelle Henry said.
In some instances, Carroll contacted the students through social media, where he would convince them to meet with him, investigators told WNEP.
According to officials, Carroll would drug his victims, WBRE reported. He stopped working as a school resource officer at the high school in 2018, Scranton police told the station, adding that his employment with the department ended in 2022.
The Scranton School District said in a statement to the outlet that it is “lending its full cooperation to police.”
His bail is set at $500,000, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 3, according to the state attorney general’s office.
Other charges against Carroll include harassment, indecent assault forcible compulsion, indecent assault of an unconscious person, official oppression and corruption of minors, records show.
McClatchy News was unable to find attorney information for Carroll.
This story was originally published December 22, 2024 at 2:32 PM with the headline "School resource officer drugged and sexually assaulted teens for years, PA officials say."