After 34 Years Ex Dare Cop Arrested for sexually abusing teens while he was a DARE PO
Ex-cop sexually abused teens while he was a DARE officer, Pennsylvania officials say
BY CHACOUR KOOP 32 years later he was finally arrested.
APRIL 07, 2021 03:28 PM, UPDATED 3 HOURS 8 MINUTES AGO
A former Pennsylvania cop is accused of sexually abusing teens while he was a D.A.R.E. officer, officials say.
James Carey, a retired Warminster Township police officer, was arrested Wednesday on sexual abuse charges, according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
Carey, 52, is accused of sexually abusing four teenage boys two decades ago while he was a D.A.R.E. officer. The abuse occurred from 1988 to 2000, officials say.
D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, a program intended to teach children to “lead lives free from violence, substance use, and other dangerous behaviors.”
Carey appeared in court on 122 charges, including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, unlawful contact with minors and corruption of minors, according to court documents.
Carey ingratiated himself into the lives of minor children, in particular, those who were already facing challenges in their lives,” according to a grand jury presentment. “He used his position and authority to groom, not only the children, but their adult caregivers.”
Carey’s attorney, Michael Applebaum, said “we look forward to proving his innocence in court,” WCAU reported.
As a D.A.R.E. officer for Centennial School District, Carey was able to “gain unique access to children under color of authority and law,” officials say.
He’s accused of allowing kids to drink alcohol, smoke and use drugs in his presence and sexually abusing children while in uniform and at his home, officials say.
Bucks County authorities initially investigated Carey in 2001 when a report was filed with the Warminster Township Police Department alleging inappropriate conduct with a 16-year-old, officials say.
Carey wasn’t charged because the age of consent being 16 years old and a lack of information, officials say.
However, former Bucks County District Attorney Diane Gibbons told the police department in a letter she had “grave concerns” about Carey’s behavior and his employment as a police officer, officials say.
The police department fired Carey in 2005 for reasons unrelated to inappropriate conduct with kids, but he regained his job in 2006 at a lower rank after arbitration, officials say.
While away from the police department, Carey worked at a campground in Cape May County, New Jersey, where he lives. In September 2006, he was the focus of a New Jersey State Police investigation for conduct with minors at the campground but no charges resulted.
Carey retired from the Warminster Township Police Department in 2009.
“A police officer’s creed is to protect and serve his community,” Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said in a news release. “In a perverse and criminal dereliction of his duty, James Carey instead took advantage of his power and credibility while on the job as a police officer to sexually abuse our community’s most vulnerable: our children.”
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