Steve Cugini, 28, is a police officer with the York City Police Department who has been arrested for allegedly molesting a 13-month-old child.
Cugini was arrested Tuesday, April 16th, 2024 by the Pennsylvania State Police.
He faces charges of felony r*pe, aggravated assault of a child, and aggravated indecent assault of a child related to attempts to cause serious bodily injury, according to the York Dispatch.
A daycare worker at the YMCA Youth Development Center in Halifax, Dauphin reportedly called authorities after the little girl was left at the facility with serious injuries that the worker correctly surmised were linked to abuse.
The child was transported to Penn State Hershey Medical Center who found that aside from s*xual abuse, she had suffered broke bones and severe bruising.
Police were called to the facility after they examined the child.
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Aside from the Pennsylvania State Police, the Dauphin County Child Abuse Team and Pennsylvania State Police were also involved in the investigation.
Other injuries police investigators noted included bruising on the child’s buttocks and groinal area, swelling to the left foot, bruising to the ankle and face as well as behind her ears and on her chest and abrasions on her fingers.
WGAL reports that the baby’s mother and Cugini initially told authorities the injuries happened during a bathtub fall and an accident with the family dog however, investigators discovered text messages showing Cugini taking responsibility for the injuries.
He also reportedly later told police the injuries happened while the infant was in his care alone.
Investigators say the alleged abuse occurred between April 11th and 15th at two separate locations – in Elizabethville in Dauphin County and Springettsbury Township in York County.
Cugini has been suspended per department policy and is locked up in the Dauphin County Prison on $200,000 bail.
“If these allegations are founded, trust and believe I’ll be the first to take swift and definitive action against them,” York City Police Commissioner Michael Muldrow said in a statement.
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