A former Auburn police officer accused of sexually abusing a minor has pleaded not guilty.
Morrissey appeared in front of Judge Thomas Delone for arraignment in Cayuga County Court on Thursday, September 8.
Former Auburn High School SRO accused of repeated inappropriate contact with a 14-year-old student
William Morrissey, 32, of Throop, was indicted in July on the charges of first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree disseminating indecent material to minors, both felonies, as well as official misconduct and endangering the welfare of a child, both misdemeanors.
Police say Morrissey engaged in “repeated inappropriate conduct with a student occurring in and around the City of Auburn including Auburn High School,” where he was serving as a school resource officer at the time.
Following an investigation that began the previous day, the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office arrested Morrissey on March 3.
Related: Auburn school resource officer charged with sex abuse following investigation
Cayuga County DA says her office is ready to go to trial
The indictment alleges that Morrissey forced a 14-year-old girl to touch his penis.
As for the indecent material charge, the indictment said Morrissey engaged in sexually explicit video call conversations with the underage victim.
The Auburn Police Department fired Morrissey on March 24, 2022.
District Attorney Heather De Stefano said there weren’t any changes that warranted adjusting Morrissey’s bail, but that her office is ready to go to trial, according to The Citizen.
Morrissey remains out on $25,000 cash bail.
He was hired by the APD in 2016. Morrissey was assigned as a school resource officer for the Auburn Enlarged City School District in 2018.
Related: Judge denies Auburn school resource officer’s request to dismiss felony sex abuse charge
