A former Chester County school resource officer was arrested after she was allegedly caught semi-clothed in the back of her car with a 17-year-old boy.
Stefanie Dunne, 44, was charged with one count corruption of minors after an Upper Uwchlan Police Department officer found her and the boy in a secluded area of a park in May, the Chester County District Attorney's Office said in a press release.
Dunne, a former Downingtown Police Department officer working at Downingtown West High School, allegedly met the victim, a former student at the school, when he was in ninth grade. The two became "friendly" in 2017 and Dunne began driving the boy home from Friday night football games, according to a criminal complaint.
Dunne then began driving the boy to secluded areas, where they would engage in a "physical relationship," according to the complaint. These encounters happened around eight different times, the complaint said.
Investigators also allegedly found more than 6,000 text messages between Dunne and the victim dating back to May of last year. The messages included "several photographs" of Dunne, as well as "intimate references and sexual innuendo," according to the complaint.
The Chester County District Attorney's Office, Downingtown Police Department and Downingtown Area School District all condemned the officer's actions.
"Officers are entrusted to protect children, not take advantage of them. This type of conduct is deplorable to anyone, but much greater to those who wear the Downingtown Police badge with honor" chief Howard Holland said in a statement.
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Dunne resigned shortly after Downingtown Police began their investigation. She was arrested Tuesday, with bail set at $50,000 unsecured.
