York City police officer sexually assaulted 13-month-old child, state police allege
Anthony MaenzaA York City police officer faces a felony child rape charge for his alleged abuse of a 13-month-old girl.
Steven Kyle Cugini, 28, was arrested Tuesday by Pennsylvania State Police on that and a series of other charges, including aggravated assault of a child and aggravated indecent assault of a child related to attempts to cause serious bodily injury.
Investigators said the alleged abuse happened between April 11 and April 15 this year at two separate locations, in Elizabethville in Dauphin County and Springettsbury Township in York County.
UPDATE:Daycare worker alerted authorities to 13-month-old's alleged abuse: police
In addition to sexual violence, state police said the child suffered broken bones and severe bruising. Police were called to Penn State Hershey Medical Center after the child was examined by medical staff. The Dauphin County Child Abuse Team and Pennsylvania State Police also were involved in the investigation.
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Cugini's bail was set at $200,000 and he was placed in the Dauphin County Prison.
A preliminary hearing in the case is set for May 1.
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York City Police Commissioner Michael Muldrow told The York Dispatch that Cugini was suspended without pay as the state police investigation continues.
"As everyone knows, I will always be the first to fight and advocate for our people; but they also know how I feel about kids, and that I hold my officers to the highest of standards,” Muldrow said, in a previous statement. “And if these allegations are founded, trust and believe I'll be the first to take swift and definitive action against them.”
Cugini's arrest follows a plea deal reached last year between the D.A.'s office and former York City Police Officer Joseph Palmer. The former juvenile engagement officer admitted he molested a 16-year-old girl he met during the course of his official duties.
In exchange for pleading guilty to a single misdemeanor count of corruption of minors, five felony charges and another misdemeanor charge were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
Palmer was sentenced to five years probation with limits on his internet usage.
“It feels like there’s very little justice for her,” the victim’s mother said as she read a statement in court last August. “I feel betrayed in a way that I cannot put into words.”
Less than five months after the plea deal was reached, Palmer faced new allegations that he violated the terms of his probation by accessing the internet and going into a school for a night class without first seeking permission from a probation officer.
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Following the probation violation, York County Court of Common Pleas Judge Harry Ness sentenced Palmer to six-to-23 months at York County Prison, where he remains incarcerated as of Wednesday, according to court records.
"He received a sweetheart plea deal for the betrayal he inflicted on my family, the police department, and the people of York, and then flagrantly dismissed the conditions of that deal," the teen's father said in January.
The York Dispatch has not disclosed the names of the teen and parents due to the nature of the offense involving a minor.
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