More than two decades ago, Bensalem police recommended charging a 19-year-old man with the sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl.
The arrest came this week, months after Sean Greer, now 41, allegedly confessed to the 2002 crime while in police custody, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Bensalem Sgt. Glenn Vandegrift said Friday that the department “thoroughly investigated” the incident when it was reported in May 2002 and forwarded the investigation’s findings to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office for review and a charging decision.
“Upon review, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office did not authorize charges against Sean Greer, and the case was closed by Bensalem Township Police pending further investigative leads,” he said.
Black Americans targeted in text messages Racist text messages spam Black Americans, including Pennsylvanians. What we know
According to a probable cause statement, police first investigated the allegations after receiving a tip and interviewing the girl and her father shortly after the alleged assault.
The girl told authorities she was at home watching an episode of “SpongeBob Square Pants” when Greer entered the room and began sexually assaulting her, according to the affidavit.
At one point, the girl said she saw her father standing in the doorway and he called Greer out of the room, the affidavit said.
In a police interview, the victim’s father confirmed that he saw Greer “doing something” with his daughter’s body when he entered the room, but he could not see specifically what, the affidavit said.
After Greer left the room, the father said he wanted to know what was going on. Greer allegedly told the father he suspected he would have to be sent away “like his grandfather,” the affidavit said.
‘I’m sick. You’re going to have to send me away,” Greer said, according to the affidavit.
The victim’s father ordered Greer out of the house and had not spoken to him at the time of the 2002 investigation.
The girl alleged that Greer began abusing her around Christmas in 2001, when she was 10. She told police during the assault that she was going to tell Greer to “go away,” but he did not stop or say anything to her, the affidavit said.
The criminal investigation was reopened in June after a West Orange, New Jersey, police lieutenant contacted Bensalem police about an investigation involving Greer, who was accused of sexual misconduct, the affidavit said.
The New Jersey police lieutenant said that during his questioning, Greer admitted to abusing the Bensalem girl 22 years earlier, the affidavit said.
After Bensalem detectives completed the additional investigation, Bucks County approved charges of aggravated indecent assault against a person under the age of 13 and endangering the welfare of children and related offenses.
Greer, whose last known address is West Orange, New Jersey, was arraigned before District Judge Michael Gallagher on Nov. 7 and sent to Bucks County Jail in lieu of $5 million bail. According to the docket, he did not have an attorney listed Friday.
Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bensalem police have charged a man with child abuse in 2002
