SCRANTON, Penn. — An ex-Pennsylvania police officer who worked as a school resource officer at a Scranton high school drugged and sexually assaulted multiple students for years, according to state officials.
Stephen J. Carroll, 49, was formerly employed by the Scranton Police Department and served as the SRO at West Scranton High School, the SunHerald reports. He is accused of sexually abusing five students during his tenure. He was arrested on Dec. 20 on 46 counts, including three counts of rape, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office said in a news release.
The alleged abuse occurred between 2009 and 2017. Officials said recent evidence and interviews led to the arrest. Carroll allegedly used social media to arrange sexual encounters and receive obscene and other sexual materials from students. He also drugged some of the students before sexually assaulting them, officials said. The alleged assaults happened at Carroll’s home and at the school. Police say four of the victims were underage.
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“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,” said Attorney General Michelle Henry. “This collaborative investigation uncovered a pattern of abuse that spanned years. I thank the grand jurors who listened to many hours of testimony; their time and effort led to these charges. We will continue to prosecute this case and our efforts to hold this accused predator accountable.”
Carroll stopped working as an SRO at the school in 2018 and his employment with Scranton PD ended in 2022.
Additional charges against Carroll include involuntary deviate sexual intercourse forcible compulsion, sexual assault, corruption of minors, official oppression, institutional sexual assault, and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years of age, among others.
Carroll’s bail is set at $500,000 and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 3.
