American cop of Philadelphia sexually assaulted vulnerable women and girls in his police car

Prosecutors say Patrick Heron strategically targeted vulnerable women and girls, then sexually assaulted them — often in the back of his police cruiser, while in uniform.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Prosecutors shared disturbing new details Monday in the criminal case against a former Philadelphia Police officer, showing through videos, photos, and witness interviews how Patrick Heron strategically targeted and sexually assaulted vulnerable women and girls — often in the back of his police cruiser and while in uniform.

Heron, who retired from the force in 2019, was arrested last year and charged with indecent assault, unlawful contact with a minor, stalking, and witness intimidation after prosecutors said he posed as an active officer to lure young girls, including some of his daughter’s friends. He would groom and coerce them into sending him intimate photos, officials said. In some cases, he touched them inappropriately.

After investigators searched Heron’s technology, they said they uncovered dozens of photos and videos showing Heron’s predatory behavior spanned years and included dozens of young women and girls — many of whom were vulnerable and had run away, been arrested, or struggled with addiction.

In total, Heron, from Northeast Philadelphia, faces more than 200 counts of sexual assault, child sexual abuse, kidnapping, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault, child pornography, and related crimes.

During a hearing in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Monday, prosecutors shared a video that they said showed Heron encouraging a young woman to use heroin in the back of his cruiser.

“Finish that needle,” he told her. He then videoed himself assaulting her while she laid unconscious in the back of his car, said Lyandra Retacco, chief of the Special Investigations Unit of the District Attorney’s Office.

In one case, Heron was responsible for driving a young girl home from the hospital after she had run away, Retacco said. In another, he encountered a teen who had been arrested. Routinely, Heron would then give the girls his cell phone number and tell them to call him if they needed money or help.

Before forcing one girl to perform sex acts on him, Heron told her that, “It would help you in court to have a police officer on your side,” testified Sgt. Gerald Rocks, the investigator on the case.

Heron met many of his victims while on the force, Retacco said, and prosecutors say his crimes occurred over a roughly 17-year span, from 2005 through 2022. Investigators have identified 48 victims, though many of their identities remain unknown, Retacco said. There are likely more who haven’t come forward, she said.

“When a person chooses their victims so that they are vulnerable, then it can be difficult for them to make reports and it can be difficult for them to come forward,” she said.

Heron’s lawyer, Anthony F. List Jr., declined to comment Monday. He said nothing in Heron’s defense in court.

Heron was arrested last September after a concerned mother shared on Facebook that Heron had posed as a police officer and was inappropriately messaging with her daughter, a minor, calling her “sweetie” and “love” and trying to organize a meet-up. Heron then stalked and harassed the mother, prosecutors said, even showing up at her house and leaving a forged court order in her mailbox demanding she stop talking about him online.

Once detectives searched his phone and other devices, they found dozens of videos taken between 2016 and 2017, which show Heron assaulting girls, some who appeared semi-conscious, in his cruiser. Some victims contacted the District Attorney’s Office after seeing his photo in the news.

Judge Giovanni Campbell on Monday agreed to consolidate the five cases against Heron into one.

In court, Heron said nothing, staring straight ahead through his aviator-style glasses before he was taken back to Delaware County Prison, where he’s being held without bail.