Philadelphia business owner Jay Pross expressed his frustration with the current situation in the city after his store was looted. Meanwhile, a retired Philadelphia police officer, Patrick Heron, who was facing over 1,300 years in prison on more than 200 criminal charges involving sexual abuse of children and women, entered a guilty plea to lesser charges. He was subsequently sentenced to 15 to 40 years of incarceration.
The plea deal was announced by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office in a press release. According to the release, Heron pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful contact with a minor, two counts of sexual abuse of children, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, official oppression, kidnapping of a minor, indecent assault, forgery, and stalking. These charges were brought against him by the DA’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU).
Commonwealth prosecutors had been prepared to go to trial on allegations that spanned over a decade, accusing Heron of abusing and assaulting numerous women and girls. He was also accused of taking photos and videos of the victims without their consent and attempting to intimidate witnesses to cover up his crimes. The DA’s office, along with the SIU, conducted an extensive investigation, which included the seizure of digital images and videos connected to Heron.
Some of the seized materials showed Heron engaging in abusive conduct with women and girls while he was on duty, in uniform, and armed with his department-issued firearm on the back of his patrol vehicle. The DA’s office highlighted one specific video, shown during a procedural hearing, in which Heron was seen encouraging a woman to shoot up drugs before sexually assaulting her.
Heron had been in custody on child sex assault charges since June when additional sex crimes were brought against him, covering the period from 2005 to 2019. Upon the filing of these charges, a judge ordered him to be held without bail, and his $2 million bail was revoked. If Heron had been convicted of the 218 criminal charges, he would have faced more than 1,300 years in prison.
However, instead of going to trial, Heron decided to enter a guilty plea on charges that represented each of the joined criminal cases against him. As a result, he was sentenced by Judge Giovanni Campbell to 15 to 40 years of incarceration. The decision to accept the plea deal was welcomed by the Special Investigations Unit Supervisor, Lyandra Retacco, who stated that her department was satisfied with the conviction. She also mentioned that the survivors who were prepared to testify against Heron expressed relief knowing that he will be held accountable and can no longer harm anyone else.
District Attorney Krasner condemned Heron’s actions, describing them as an abuse of his position of trust. He emphasized the need for support and justice for the survivors, as well as addressing the systemic failures within law enforcement that allowed Heron’s crimes to go unreported and unchecked for so long.
In conclusion, former Philadelphia police officer Patrick Heron’s guilty plea and subsequent sentencing to 15-40 years in prison for sexual abuse charges have brought some closure to the survivors and victims involved. However, the case also highlights the need for reforms within law enforcement to prevent such abuses from happening in the future.
