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NEWPORT TWP. — Township police arrested Ronald Ebert, a constable, on Wednesday after a woman claimed he raped and sexually assaulted her when she was a girl.
She told police she estimated Ebert forced her to perform oral sex when she was in pre-school in 2002 and continued until 2008, according to court records.
Police said the woman reported the alleged offenses in March.
Ebert is a constable often performing security services during high school athletic events.
Ebert, 52, of Glen Lyon, was arraigned by District Judge David A. Barilla in Swoyersville on two counts each of aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, and one count each of rape and corruption of minors. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $50,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
A woman went to police in early March claiming she was sexually assaulted by Ebert when she was a child. She estimated the assaults began when she was 5-years-old in 2002 because she remembered being in pre-school at the time.
She told police Ebert was staying with her family and would often watch her when her parents were away from the house.
Police said the woman reported the first assault happened when Ebert was lying on a couch and she reached into his pants. Ebert took her to a bathroom and made her perform oral sex, the complaint says.
She said the assaults continued through the years believing it was normal. She told police Ebert would give her money and guilt her into performing sexual acts by telling her he was going to get “a new girlfriend to do it,” according to the complaint.
Police in the complaint stated the woman reported sexual assaults occurred in every room of the house, while swimming in a pool and inside a vehicle.
The last encounter occurred when she turned 11 and Ebert made her sit on his lap.
Police confirmed Ebert resided with the girl’s family during the time of the alleged assaults.