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Former Phila. cop jailed for molesting teen

Former Philadelphia Police Officer Walter Sasse, whom friends and family described as loving, devoted, and even inspirational, was sentenced to 111/2 to 23 months in prison Tuesday for molesting a teenage girl over two years.

Walter Sasse met the victim when she rode horses and he gave lessons.
Walter Sasse met the victim when she rode horses and he gave lessons.Read moreFile photograph

Former Philadelphia Police Officer Walter Sasse, whom friends and family described as loving, devoted, and even inspirational, was sentenced to 111/2 to 23 months in prison Tuesday for molesting a teenage girl over two years.

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of five to 10 years, and sentencing guidelines called for a minimum of four years.

Sasse, 78, was released to serve house arrest until he files an appeal, at which time he is to report to prison. He was convicted of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, and related offenses.

He must register as a sex offender. When released from prison, he will serve 10 years' probation.

His victim, now 20, sat quietly in court as the sentence was announced. She and her parents said in statements read in court that the abuse left her scarred and suffering symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I still struggle with why this happened to me," she said. "Walter knew exactly what he was doing."

Prosecutors said he carefully groomed a lonesome girl into doing what he wished.

The Inquirer does not name victims of sexual crimes.

Common Pleas Court Judge Steven Geroff said he struggled to determine an appropriate sentence in this case, which he described as "like none other in my 24 years on the bench."

He diverged from the guidelines, he said, for reasons including Sasse's previously upstanding behavior and public service.

Geroff read portions of more than two dozen letters in which friends and family praised Sasse, several saying they trusted him with their own children and doubted the charges were true.

Geroff said, "He is a good man who has done some very bad things."

Sasse spent 18 years in the Mounted Patrol. He was stoic as sentence was imposed, supported by family members and friends who struggled to contain their tears.

Sasse met the girl in 2010, when she was 14, at Courtesy Stables in Andorra. She rode horses, and he gave riding lessons and supervised the barn. By the time she was 15, friendly hugs had escalated to oral sex and masturbation in the barn, his Roxborough home, and his truck.

The girl ended their contact in December 2013. After that, prosecutors said, Sasse threatened to kill himself, asked to meet with her, and would show up wherever she happened to be.

jgammage@phillynews.com

215-854-4906

@JeffGammage