A 28-year-old Philadelphia police officer is facing sexual assault charges and is being held on $1 million bond, officials confirmed Saturday.
Novice Sloan, who worked in the 17th police district, was also charged with indecent assault and simple assault stemming from an August incident, according to court documents.
"These are incredibly serious charges against a person entrusted to protect the public, and as with all sexual assault cases, my office will investigate this matter deliberately and thoroughly," Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said in an emailed statement.
Krasner, who sued the Philadelphia police department dozens of times before becoming district attorney, encouraged victims of sexual abuse to contact his office's special investigations unit to report a crime if they do not feel comfortable going to the police.
"The District Attorney's Office is here for you," he said in the statement.
Philadelphia police would not say whether Sloan has been fired or suspended.
Sloan's arrest is the latest in a series of scandals plaguing the police department. Last month, 72 officers were placed on administrative leave after offensive social media posts were made public by the Plain View Project. Several officers resigned before they could be fired.
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Shortly after, Richard Ross abruptly resigned as commissioner following two lawsuits claiming he mishandled sexual harassment allegations within the department. The lawsuits did not accuse Ross of harassing any officers, but did suggest that he had an affair with one of the plaintiffs.
Then, earlier this month, a police commander named in the Plain View database sued the people who published that damning report. Around the same time, interm Police Commissioner Christine Coulter was forced to apologize for wearing a controversial L.A.P.D. T-Shirt in the 90s.
