By Terri Hill | January 22, 2019
A Wilkes-Barre police officer has been accused by police of sexually assaulting four women while on duty and in uniform, according to Attorney General Josh Shapiro.
State police charged Robert Collins, 53, of Luzerne County, Tuesday with three counts of rape, two counts of aggravated indecent assault, four counts of witness intimidation, false imprisonment and related charges.
Acccording to court documents, the assaults allegedly occurred between August 2013 and December 2014 in Wilkes-Barre.
In three of the cases, Collins searched the female victim after a vehicle stop or street encounter and allegedly found small amounts of controlled substances or drug paraphernalia on the woman. He then placed the woman in his police car and forced her to perform oral sex upon him by threatening arrest or other negative police action.
In the fourth case, Collins met the woman while she was walking, forced her into his police car and then sexually assaulted her, police said.
“This case is reprehensible – the perpetrator is a public official, someone who the community entrusted to protect them,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro said.
Collins was booked into the Luzerne County Jail after he was unable to post a $125,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 7.
Terri Hill can be contacted at terri.hill@grantstreetnews.com
