GREENSBURG, Pa. — A young police officer facing criminal charges had been on the job less than a year, before he resigned from Gilpin Township Police Department.
Police charged William Rapone II, 22, with corruption of minors and harassment.
Both charges are misdemeanors.
Rapone is accused of inappropriately touching a 16-year-old girl at his own 21st birthday party last year at a home in the Forbes Road area.
Police say she was at the party with her boyfriend, who was friends with Rapone.
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”The most serious aspect of this whole incident was the inappropriate touching at this party. Not only the age, but it was unwarranted and she alleges it was on purpose and unwanted,” Greensburg Police Chief Shawn Denning said. Police said the contact continued about a month later when Rapone sent her Snapchats and was allegedly making suggestive conversation with the girl.
Court paperwork detailed some of the conversation with Rapone allegedly saying things like, “you’re just young,” and “maybe when you’re 18,” and “I can get in trouble if I say anything else.”
When detectives started looking into the allegations, Gilpin Township Police suspended him without pay and then Rapone resigned.
The Gilpin Township Chief told Channel 11 that these accusations were prior to Rapone ever being hired at Gilpin Township and ever being a police officer in the first place.
Greensburg police said it took the victim about a year to report it because she was apparently worried about coming forward.
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”She was afraid. She was scared. She just didn’t know what to do. Once she spoke to her father about it they came here. The officers did a good job and expedited it and did search warrants to have some evidence on hand and what he did was inappropriate,” Denning said.
Rapone’s attorney, Duke George, told me Rapone has an impeccable reputation, and is a very good kid.
George said he still has more witnesses to talk to before he can comment on the case itself.
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