Credit: Bucks County District Attorney’s Office
A Bucks County deputy sheriff was arrested Saturday on charges of indecent exposure and related offenses.
Deputy Stephen R. Springfield, who turned 39 last week, was charged Saturday after an investigation that involved Bucks County Rangers and the Bucks County Detectives.
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In court papers filed by Ranger Thomas Booz and Detective Frank Groome, authorities detail allegations that the off-duty deputy was involved in an unsettling incident at Silver Lake Park, which is run by the county and patrolled by rangers.
A woman reported to a ranger last Friday that she saw Springfield viewing pornography last Tuesday and pulling on his penis, “appearing to masturbate” while in the parking lot off Bath Road, police said.
The woman also told investigators Springfield jiggled a bag of Starburst Chews and asked if she wanted some. The woman, according to court papers, said, ‘no thank you.” He further unsuccessfully offered her Skittles and Smarties.
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The off-duty deputy, a resident of Bristol Township, was spotted by the woman two times after the alleged lewd incident. One time he was talking to a boy, who told the woman the 39-year-old lawman was asking him questions. The second incident happened Friday when Springfield quickly left the parking lot after the woman began to snap photos of the license plate, police said, adding a second woman also snapped photos of Springfield’s pickup truck.
On Saturday around 7:30 a.m., Booz and Ranger Frank Atrivello were called back to the parking lot for a report Springfield was in the area. However, he was already gone by the time they arrived, police said.
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While at the parking Saturday morning, a man who regularly visits the park confirmed the woman’s story from last Tuesday to rangers, they said.
By mid-morning Saturday, Springfield spoke with a ranger and said he was just urinating in a bottle at the park. However, Springfield said he was doing “probably exactly what they said” when he was told there were witnesses, adding he was viewing pornography.
“I was excited,” Springfield reportedly told an investigator when asked what else happened at the park. He added that he did not ask the woman to do anything.
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Sources and public records confirmed Springfield works for the sheriff’s office, and a county spokesperson said the 39 year old is a county employee.
The county spokesperson said an investigation into Springfield is ongoing.
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Springfield was arraigned before District Judge Frank Peranteau Sr., a former police chief, Saturday at 8:15 p.m. on charges of indecent exposure, open lewdness and disorderly conduct. He was released on $25,000 unsecured bail.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
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