Ex-cop accused of indecent assault will stand trial

MERCER, Pa. -- A former Greenville police officer has been ordered to stand trial on indecent assault and related charges.
District Justice Ruth French, after a preliminary hearing Thursday, ruled that William G. Roesch, 47, of Hamburg Road, Greenville, must face trial on 12 counts of indecent exposure, indecent assault, open lewdness and official oppression.
He remains free on his own recognizance.
The charges were filed by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office in October after an investigation that began in February 2002.
Roesch had served in the department 24 years before allegations made against him by civilian women working in the borough police department began to surface in December 2001. He was placed on paid suspension that month and resigned in April 2002.
The charges allege that, between 1993 and 2001, Roesch exposed himself to the women, groped the breasts of two of them and masturbated in front of them, all while on duty.
If convicted on all counts, he could face up to 30 years in prison.