Monday, October 05, 2009

Officer Anthony Santo Arrested for Sexually Assaulting Minor

An 18-year veteran of the Norwalk Police Department has been placed on administrative leave after he was arrested Friday by Greenwich Police for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor.

Officer Anthony Santo, 42, turned himself into the Greenwich Police Department on a warrant for second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.

Greenwich Police said the arrest stems from a three-month long investigation into the sexual assault of a minor and would not divulge further details about the arrest.

Norwalk Police Chief Harry Rilling said the arrest is related to an incident that occurred five or six years ago at a home in Greenwich. He could not give details of the arrest because the investigation is ongoing.

Rilling said the department will await the outcome of the criminal investigation before deciding whether to take further action in the matter.

"He's been a member of the department for quite some time," he said. "We've never had any complaints about him from the community or his fellow officers."

Sources close to The Hour said the sexual-assault victim may have only recently revealed the allegations to police. Under Connecticut state law, the statute of limitations to file a rape charge is 30 years after the incident occurred.

Friday's arrest marks the third time in three years that a Norwalk police officer has been charged with sex crimes.

Former Lieut. Thomas Cummings was arrested in January 2008 on multiple charges stemming from accusations of inappropriate sexual contact with two teenage boys.

Former officer Ray DeCamillo was recently released from prison after serving a nine-month sentence for sexually assaulting a 20-year-old Norwalk woman while on duty in 2006. He registered on the New Canaan sex-offender registry in September.

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