Jefferson Co., PA (WJAC) — State police say a former officer with the Brookville Borough Police Department is facing charges after being accused of groping a woman inside a local Sheetz store earlier this year.
According to the affidavit, troopers say the incident occurred in March, at the Brookville Sheetz, when 39-year-old Justin Miller allegedly walked up to a woman, who he reportedly knew through his employment as an officer, and "smacked her buttocks and groped her private area through her clothes."
Investigators say, according to witnesses, Miller was on-duty and in full uniform at the time of the incident.
Authorities say the victim told police that she had "balled up her fist" as a reaction to the unwanted touching but chose not to strike Miller out of fear that she would be arrested for assaulting a police officer.
Troopers say, upon further investigation, they learned that Miller and the victim had frequently communicated via social media but that their relationship had never rose to the level of being intimate with one another.
Police say the victim told investigators that she never gave Miller permission to touch her and stated that she "felt violated" by the encounter.
According to the affidavit, witnesses also told investigators that Miller had allegedly called the victim a "prude" during the incident and, according to the other officer who was with Miller at the time, Miller had reportedly made inappropriate comments about how attractive the victim was after they left the store.
Troopers say when they interviewed Miller about the incident, he reportedly admitted to "smacking the victim's butt," but denied touching her elsewhere.
"Looking back, that probably wasn't the smartest thing to do," Miller reportedly said in the interview.
According to online court records, Miller faces a misdemeanor charge of indecent assault, as well as two separate counts of harassment.
Brookville Borough Police Chief Vincent Markle confirmed to 6 News that Miller is no longer employed by the department.
6 News has also reached out to the Brookville Borough solicitor for any additional comment, but have not yet heard back.
Miller's preliminary hearing is scheduled for late October.
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