A retired Philadelphia police officer already in custody on child sex assault charges is now charged with dozens more sex crimes that stem from his time on duty.
Former patrol officer Patrick Heron was previously charged with posing as an officer after he retired in 2019 to lure young girls into meeting him or soliciting intimate photos, allegations that District Attorney Larry Krasner has called alarming.
Heron is now charged with sexual misconduct against girls and women in 19 new cases stemming from 2005 to 2019, while he was on the police force. He is also charged with threatening or intimidating witnesses.
“We keep learning there are more victims. We keep learning there is new evidence,” Lyandra Retacco, chief of the Special Investigations Unit of the District Attorney’s Office, said at a press conference, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Heron, 53, is being held without bail after his $2 million bail was revoked. His lawyer, Pierre La Tour, declined to comment on the new charges, the newspaper reported.
The 233 new counts announced Tuesday include kidnapping, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, indecent assault, and institutional sexual assault.
