York police officer raped baby during bathtime, court documents reveal
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A York police officer raped a 13-month-old girl while he was bathing her over the weekend in a Dauphin County home, police wrote in court documents.
The baby’s Halifax daycare center called Pennsylvania State Police on Monday requesting a welfare check after the girl was dropped off with “severe bruising” on her face and head, and wounds that left her unable to put pressure on her left foot, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Medical professionals later discovered the baby had a broken leg in addition to the bruising, and showed signs of having been raped.
State police said they traced the physical and sexual abuse to Steven K. Cugini, 28, of York, a police officer who knew the girl’s mother.
Cugini was arrested and charged on Wednesday with rape of a child, aggravated indecent assault of a child, and aggravated assault.
After initially blaming the injuries on the family’s dog and a “hard fall” during bathtime, the baby’s mother admitted to state police that she was covering for Cugini, court documents said.
According to the affidavit, the woman told troopers that she left the 13-month-old girl alone with Cugini for an hour on Friday. She also left Cugini to bathe the girl Saturday evening. She said she was cooking dinner when she heard “loud, repeated pounding” and the baby loudly crying in the bathroom.
The woman went to the bathroom and discovered the door was closed and locked. Cugini took 10 seconds to unlock the door for her, and when he did, he told her he locked the door to keep out a 5-year-old child who was also at the home, the affidavit said.
“When he opened the door, I noticed that his pants were on, but his shirt was wet,” the woman told troopers, according to court documents.
During interviews with state police, Cugini said the baby’s injuries were not there before he bathed her, but were there afterward. He did not explain how the injuries were inflicted, according to the affidavit.
Court documents said Cugini acknowledged to state police that the baby suffered the injuries while she was alone with him.
Online court records show Cugini was unable to post $200,000 bail and is being held at the Dauphin County Prison. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 1 in front of Magisterial District Judge Rebecca Jo Margerum.
Cugini is listed on the York City Police Department’s online officer directory.
York City Police Department Commissioner Michael Muldrow released a statement following the arrest:
“It has come to our attention a member of this department was arrested for an incident of alleged misconduct and criminal behavior, occurring in Dauphin County. Per our protocol, the individual has been immediately suspended as the investigation continues and the City looks to take the appropriate action.
“As everyone knows, I will always be the first to fight and advocate for our people; but they also know, one, how I feel about kids and, two, that I hold my officers to the highest of standards when it comes to representing this department and engaging with the community.
“And if these allegations are founded, trust and believe I’ll be the first to take swift and definitive action against them.”