Ex- york byofficer Steven Cugini beskyldes for at voldtage en 13-månedergammel og er sat til retssag i januar 2027
En politibetjent i York blev fængslet og frataget sit skilt, efter at efterforskerne anklagede ham for seksuelt overfald på en 13-måneders gammel pige tilbage i hans pleje, et spædbarn, der dukkede op på et hospital i Pennsylvania med brækkede knogler, dybe blå mærker, og skader læger sagde var i overensstemmelse med misbrug.
Statspolitiet i Lykens kriminalefterforskningsenhed åbnede sagen, efter at personalet på barnets dagpleje havde mærket hendes lig. Ifølge en Pennsylvania-politirapport, the girl had sustained severe bruising sometime between April 11 and April 15, 2024. The daycare director contacted the responding trooper on the morning of April 15 after the child was dropped off, and the infant was taken by ambulance to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, where doctors, the Dauphin County Child Abuse Team, and state police reviewed her condition.
De kriminelle klager beskrevet et brud skinneben og fibula i hendes venstre ben, ifølge optegnelser gennemgået af CBS 21 / WHP- TVEfterforskere sagde, at småbørn også havde været offer for seksuel vold.
Barnets mor, senere identificeret i retten som officerens kæreste, fortalte først myndighederne, at barnet var faldet under et bad, ifølge WHTM- TVHun tilbød også andre forklaringer for resten af sårene. Regnskaberne gik op, da undersøgelsen fortsatte.
Troopers identified Steven Kyle Cugini, then 28, of Springettsbury Township, as the suspect. During questioning he first downplayed his role, then acknowledged that he had changed the child’s diapers and bathed her, claiming an accident in the bathroom. State police said the girl’s mother reported that Cugini had shut himself in the bathroom with the child and that she heard crying and loud noises coming from the room. Cugini eventually told police the infant had been hurt while she was alone in his care. He and the child’s mother had been in a relationship for roughly four months.
On April 16, 2024, the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office approved charges. Cugini was arrested without incident and booked into Dauphin County Jail on $200,000 bail. Court records list the counts as rape of a child, aggravated indecent assault of a child, and aggravated assault for attempting to cause serious bodily injury. The alleged crimes were said to have taken place in Elizabethville in Dauphin County and in Springettsbury Township in York County.
Politikommissær Michael Muldrow placeret Cugini på umiddelbar suspension om natten for anholdelsen. I april 17 var suspensionen ulønnet. Cugini - en prøveløsladt officer, der også var en United States Hærens nationalgarde kavaleri spejder - blev afskediget fra styrken.
At a preliminary hearing on May 29, 2024, the case was held for trial. Dr. Lori Frasier, a pediatric child-abuse specialist at Hershey, testified that she examined the girl and found bruising, an abrasion to the chest, and the broken bones in the lower left leg. She told the court that, in her professional opinion, the injuries were consistent with the abuse Cugini was accused of. A state police investigator testified that evidence from Cugini’s phone would be central to the prosecution, including searches related to the potential charges. Troopers also described a text exchange in which Cugini appeared to coach the mother toward a matching account. Judge Rebecca Margerum found the evidence sufficient to proceed.
Det er påstande. Cugini har sagt, han ikke er skyldig. Han formodes uskyldig, medmindre en jury siger andet.
The prosecution slowed after his privately retained attorney moved to withdraw in December 2024, telling the court Cugini could no longer afford her fees. He has remained free on the $200,000 bail. In August 2026, ABC27/WHTM reported that Cugini’s jury trial is scheduled for January 25, 2027. Pennsylvania State Police also charged the child’s mother, Brianna Shoeman, 26, with felony endangering the welfare of a child, alleging she failed to seek medical attention; she was scheduled to enter a plea on September 3, 2026.
Cugini-sagen er en af flere i de seneste år for at teste offentlighedens tillid til, hvordan afdelinger dyrlæger og fører tilsyn med deres officerer. Relateret fra AEGIS Alliance: Pennsylvania forældre idømt fængsel, Lee County sheriffer og fabrikerede beviser, og FBI 's advarsel om børnesortering.
Lokale CBS 21 / FSA-dækning af den indledende høring:
