York City officer resigns, free on bail, while facing charges of child sex and physical abuse

A York City police officer has resigned after being accused of sexually and physically abusing a 1-year-old baby in Dauphin County.

Steven Cugini, 28, decided to leave the department last Friday while he was under suspension and steps were being taken to fire him, Police Chief Michael Muldrow said.

Muldrow provided an update on the situation during an eight-minute Facebook video on Monday. He never mentioned Cugini by name, only referring to him as an “individual.”

He also discussed a subsequent review of what he described as an extensive hiring and evaluation process for new officers to see how “individuals with bad intentions” could slip through the cracks.

“After all that, we were left with a conundrum,” said Muldrow, calling it a bitter pill to swallow. “You just never really know what’s going on in people’s hearts and minds. You just do your best to catch it sooner, keep an open mind and a watchful eye during the period, and be ready and willing to take action afterwards.

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Cugini, who is now free on $200,000 bond, was charged April 16 in Dauphin County with crimes including child rape, aggravated sexual assault of a child and aggravated assault.

The case was filed a day after Pennsylvania State Police began investigating serious injuries to the 13-month-old child at a YMCA daycare center in Halifax Township, north of Harrisburg.

A state police news release announcing the arrest revealed that alleged abuse also occurred in Springettsbury Township, where Cugini’s address is located, according to charging documents. So far, he has not been charged in York County.

A daycare worker at the YMCA in Halifax called police the morning of April 15 when she noticed the baby had bruises and wounds to her head, ankle and body. This included “blackish/purple bruises” on and around her buttocks and abrasions on her fingers, according to police, according to court documents.

The child was taken to Hershey Medical Center, where doctors told police she had a broken leg and that they found evidence of sexual abuse, according to court documents.

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Police said the girl’s mother texted YMCA employees to explain her injuries, including falling into the bathtub at their Elizabethville-area home the weekend before the 15th.^e.

During a later interview with investigators, the woman reportedly had an accident with the family dog. She was asked if anyone else could be responsible for the injuries, and she reportedly told police that she never left the girl alone with Cugini, her boyfriend, according to the criminal complaint.

Police then interviewed Cugini.

Initially, he allegedly supported the mother’s accounts, including how the dog had knocked down the girl and injured her leg.

He also allegedly admitted that he had given the girl a bath, that there had been an accident and that the injuries appeared after the bath. He allegedly claimed the injuries to her buttocks were the result of a rash, police said in charging documents.

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Doctors refuted Cugini’s and the mother’s statements and told police the girl’s injuries were not the result of a rash, a fall in the tub or an accident with the dog, according to charging documents.

State police investigators had the charges against Cugini approved on the afternoon of the 16th^e.

Hours later, police said the mother spoke to investigators again.

She allegedly said that she once left the child alone with Cugini for an hour that weekend, and that during that time he contacted her to tell her that the dog had injured the baby.

She further alleged, according to charging documents, that while Cugini was preparing dinner, she locked herself in the bathroom to give the child a bath. She told police she heard the girl crying and banging from the room.

When she went to check, she claimed Cugini had not opened the door for about 10 seconds and that his shirt was wet, according to charging documents.

After Cugini was arrested and jailed on $200,000 bail in Dauphin County, Muldrow indicated he was initially placed on a paid suspension, but the status was changed to unpaid the next day.

Muldrow said after more information about the investigation came to light, he initiated the firing process.

“I then submitted the request to the leaders of the city government, requesting that the individual be released,” he said in the video.

Court records show Cugini posted bail and was released from the Dauphin County Jail last Thursday. He contacted York City police the next day with his decision to resign, Muldrow said.

According to Muldrow, Cugini was still a probation officer.

He was sworn into the department in January 2023 after working at the York County 911 Center and serving as a corporal in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.

Muldrow said in his video that he wants to bring in an outside industry expert to work with the department as it reviews vetting standards for new officers.

“I choose to trust the system, trust the process, and leave that up to the judge and up to God to figure this out and deal with it,” he said. “I’m not going to let people, traditional practices or even my pride get in the way of making sure I do the right thing.”

Sergeant Ben Praster of the Fraternal Order of Police White Rose Lodge said the union had no comment on the situation Monday evening.

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— Reach Aimee Ambrose at [email protected] or on Twitter at @aimee_TYD.

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