A PAL coach in the Strawberry Mansion section of Philadelphia has been charged with raping a 15-year-old, police said Friday. NBC10 reporter Danny Freeman found that the suspect previously pleaded guilty to robbery.
A volunteer for the Police Athletic League of Philadelphia is charged with raping a 15-year-old girl after offering her a ride to work.
The girl told police that she was walking to work after leaving a Strawberry Mansion PAL center she regularly attends on the 3100 block of Ridge Avenue when Marquis Graham, a PAL volunteer coach, offered her a ride, Philadelphia Police Department Officer Miguel Torres said.
The girl accepted and, once inside the vehicle, Graham sexually assaulted her, Torres said.
The alleged attack happened March 9 and Graham was finally arrested this Thursday by a U.S. marshal as he hid in the basement of a home on the 100 block of West Nevada Street, Torres said.
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Graham, 26, is charged with rape, sexual assault, corruption of minors, indecent assault and related charges.
He is being represented by a public defender. Defender Association of Philadelphia spokesman George Jackson said the DAP did not wish to comment on the case.
The Police Athletic League of Philadelphia is a nonprofit that provides free sports, educational and recreational services to children. All centers are supervised by Philadelphia police officers, according to PAL.
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NBC10 reached out to PAL, but a spokesman said the group would not immediately comment.
