Former Lancaster City Police Officer Charged with Rape, Assaults on Minors in 1990s | Local News

Lancaster officials held a news conference Friday to announce the arrests of a former city police officer and another man on sexual assault charges in the late 1990s.

Police Chief Richard Mendez said Andrew Scott Selby, 54, of Pequea Township, has been charged with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in Lancaster City. The assault occurred as Selby was investigating the girl’s allegation that she was raped by another man on December 27, 1997, according to police.

Selby’s arrest came a day after police announced they had arrested Roberto Rosario, 44, of York, who is accused of committing the rape Selby was investigating in 1997.

The plaintiff spoke to police in March, according to charging documents in Rosario’s case. The woman told police she was visiting her mother in Lancaster City for Christmas this year and at one point said her mother dropped her off with acquaintances at an unspecified home.

That evening, Rosario, known by his street name “Rage,” and his uncle gave the 16-year-old alcohol and drove her to a nearby motel, where Rosario raped her, according to charging documents.

The 16-year-old reported the rape to Lancaster General Hospital the same day. Selby was assigned to the case and allegedly raped the girl a few days later, according to charging documents and police reports.

Detective Sergeant Jessica Higgins, who investigated the woman’s account of the 1997 assaults, said she had linked two other cases of sexual abuse to Selby, including the rape of a 12-year-old girl and the attempted rape of another minor in November 1999 . Police declined to provide the age of the second minor, saying only that she was approximately the same age as the other victim.

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Selby is charged with two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault, attempted rape, attempted statutory sexual assault, attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and attempted sexual assault.

Rosario is accused of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and sexual abuse.

Court records show Selby’s preliminary arraignment took place Friday afternoon and he is being held in the Lancaster County Jail. A docket detailing the charges against Selby said he had been refused bail and was “a danger to the community”. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 28.

Rosario was taken into custody Thursday and is free on $150,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 22.

“The arrest of former Officer Selby in connection with these heinous crimes deeply shocks and saddens all of us in the office,” Mendez said. “We believe it is important to emphasize that we are committed to ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their position or previous affiliation, are held accountable for their actions. We are fully committed to the pursuit of truth and justice as we continue this investigation.”

Mayor Danene Sorace spoke briefly at the news conference to express her pride in the department’s arrests and work with victims.

“I am … very inspired by the victims who are now coming forward,” Sorace said. “Today, I can share how pleased and proud I am that the office is helping these victims get one step closer to justice.”

Mendez said Selby could have attacked more people and asked anyone with information to contact Higgins at 717-735-3319.

Selby and Rosario

An article in the May 1994 Lancaster New Era announced that Selby had joined the city police force. He was said to be a graduate of JB McCaskey High School and attended Millersville University. It was also said that he worked as a community service assistant for the police before being hired.

Selby left the Lancaster City Police Department in August 2000. Mendez said he didn’t know where Selby went next. Civil court records filed with the Lancaster County Prothonotary’s office show that Selby was sued for failure to repay a debt and lost a home to foreclosure after leaving the police force.

Rosario is a registered sex offender after being convicted of a crime abroad in 2003. He was sentenced in 2010 to up to 23 months in prison for failing to register in Pennsylvania in 2008.

A September 1997 Lancaster New Era article reported that Rosario, then 18, was one of 11 people arrested on Beaver Street for selling drugs. The 1999 Sunday News reported that a Roberto Rosario was arrested in the 500 block of West Walnut Street “for drug-related loitering.”

Court documents show Rosario pleaded guilty in 2011 to possession of heroin with intent to deliver and was sentenced to 5-10 years in prison. Records show that on Jan. 13, 2011, police searched a home in the 600 block of Lake Street and found Rosario and four other people. According to police, a search uncovered more than 800 bags of heroin and nearly $4,600 in cash.