More women have come forward to accuse a Saratoga County sheriff's deputy of forced sexual contact while he was on the job and in uniform.
Donald A. Harder III, 29, of Hadley was indicted Thursday in Saratoga County Court on 11 additional charges of criminal sexual act, sexual abuse, forcible touching and official misconduct, District Attorney James A. Murphy III said.
Murphy said three women came forward with complaints against Harder after hearing of his Aug. 13 arrest, when a 27-year-old acquaintance told police the police officer forced her to commit a sexual act on him. Harder had responded to a call to assist with a civil matter on Shields Road in Edinburg and the alleged sexual incident occurred on a roadside.
Harder, who has worked for the department for three years, allegedly forced sexual contact with all four women while he was on duty.
In the new allegations, one woman reported that Harder forcefully touched her in a sexual way on June 2 and 3 at the sheriff's substation in Corinth while the deputy was investigating a crime.
A second woman has alleged unwanted sexual contact from Harder in the summer of 2007 and in June and July of this year. The June incident allegedly occurred in a store in Greenfield, officials said. That woman first had contact with Harder as a crime victim and then later as a suspect in a case Harder investigated.
The third woman accused Harder of sexual contact that allegedly happened several years ago, for which the statute of limitations had run out, Murphy said. Harder faces a charge of official misconduct for that incident.
"These allegations were as shocking to me as they were to the sheriff," Murphy said in a news release announcing the indictment. "He and I were both very concerned about this alleged conduct and that is why, after a full investigation, the grand jury heard the case. These women were terrified and frightened."
The grand jury had been hearing the case over the last several weeks from the alleged victims and from other law enforcement personnel.
''This guy went over the line,'' said Sheriff James Bowen, who plans to attend Harder's arraignment Tuesday in Saratoga County Court. ''This guy let everybody down. We investigated it thoroughly. We turned it over to the D.A.''
Murphy said the deputy has been suspended without pay until the conclusion of his criminal case. He is married with three children.
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