The allegations
The six-page fact-finding report of the 21st Statewide Investigating Grand Jury outlines numerous instances of alleged sexual harassment and assault on different women by former Greenville-West Salem Township patrolman William G. Roesch.
Among the findings, which date to the early 1990s, are:
» Between September 1995 and March 1996 Roesch allegedly told a female dispatcher that she owed him for her job and forced her to perform oral sex on him when they were on duty together at the police station.
Roesch allegedly visited the woman's house twice in a marked police car and asked her to perform oral sex on him.
» In 1994, Roesch allegedly called a married woman several times and asked her to have an affair with him. She declined.
In December that year, she received an obscene phone call threatening her and her 1-year-old child. Roesch, who allegedly made the call to gain access to her house, went to the woman's home to take the report, and while there, allegedly began to rub his genitals through his trousers, asked the woman to touch him, tried to force her to touch him, began to masturbate and refused to leave until she exposed her breasts to him.
» A female dispatcher said Roesch touched her breasts 12 times between 2000 and 2001. She also said Roesch would place his hand, palm up, on her chair so that she would sit on his open hand.
» Another female dispatcher said Roesch sexually harassed her while they were on duty in the early 1990s. Roesch allegedly made remarks about her breasts, put his hand inside the rear of her slacks when she was seated and reached over her shoulder and down her blouse to grope her breasts. The woman testified she began wearing turtleneck sweaters and pants with tight belts to avoid being fondled.
» Another dispatcher, who worked for the department from the 1990s until 2001, said Roesch would sit beside her at the dispatch desk and expose himself beneath the counter. She said he would approach her from behind and put his hand down her shirt.
The woman also said Roesch groped her, rubbed his body against her and asked her to watch him masturbate and act out contents in a rape report.
Charges filed against ex-cop
Roesch accused
of indecent assault
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By Amanda Smith-Teutsch Herald Staff Writer
A former Greenville-West Salem Township policeman was charged Thursday in connection with a two-year investigation into sexual harassment in the police department.
William G. Roesch, 47, whose last known address was 189 Hamburg Road, Hempfield Township, was arraigned by District Justice William Fagley on 12 counts filed by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.
Roesch is charged with three counts of indecent exposure, two counts of indecent assault, three counts of open lewdness and four counts of official oppression. All are misdemeanors.
According to the six-page criminal complaint filed in Fagley's office, the indecent exposure and open lewdness charges stem from Roesch allegedly exposing himself to various women in December 1996, May 1997 and May 2001.
Roesch is also charged with indecent assault for allegedly grabbing the breasts of two women who worked for the police department in 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000 and May, July and October 2001.
Published Friday, October 31, 2003