HARRISBURG, Pa. (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - A former Washington County Police Officer is charged with sexual assault.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Wednesday morning that former Monongahela Police Officer Dustin Devault "used his position as a police officer to have unwanted sexual contact with a woman while he was on-duty and in a police vehicle."
The 47-year-old Devault is charged with Indecent Assault and other charges.
"The victim turned to the defendant because he was a member of law enforcement and someone she should have been able to trust," said Shapiro. "Instead, he is charged with taking advantage of that trust to have unwanted sexual contact with her, and then reportedly lied about it to his superiors. My Office filed charges to hold him accountable for his egregious actions and to deliver justice for the victim."
A Grand Jury found Devault first pulled the victim over in 2018. They traded text messages after the stop and she was under the impression that he was going to help her become a police officer and help find treatment for a loved one dealing with substance abuse.
The victim told the grand jury that during an incident where they were driving together he repeatedly touched her inappropriately and asked for sex.
"When you are in that situation, you just freeze. You don't know what to do. He has a gun on him. He is a police officer. And I'm just a female. I just wanted to survive that moment," the woman told the Grand Jury.
The Grand Jury also says Devault lied to his superiors and tried to convince coworkers to lie for him as well.
Devault was removed as a Monongahela officer and now works part-time with the Forward Township Police department and also as a police officer for Highmark.
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