Former Lancaster city police officer charged with raping, assaulting minors in 1990s (2024)

Lancaster officials held a press conference Friday to announce the arrest of a former city police officer and another man for sexual assaults that occurred in the late 1990s.

Police Chief Richard Mendez said Andrew Scott Selby, 54, of Pequea Township, was charged with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in Lancaster city. The assault, police said, happened as Selby was investigating the girl’s allegation that she was raped by a different man on December 27, 1997.

Selby’s arrest came one day after police said they arrested Roberto Rosario, 44, of York, who is accused committing the rape Selby was investigating in 1997.

The accuser spoke with police in March, according to charging documents filed in Rosario’s case. The woman told police she was visiting her mother in Lancaster city for Christmas that year and at some point said her mother dropped her off at an unspecified residence with people she knew.

That evening, Rosario, known by his street name “Rage,” and his uncle gave the 16-year-old alcohol and drove her to a nearby motel where Rosario raped her, according to charging documents.

The 16-year-old reported the rape to Lancaster General Hospital the same day. Selby was assigned to the case and allegedly raped the girl a few days later, according to charging documents and police.

Detective Sergeant Jessica Higgins, who investigated the woman’s account of the 1997 assaults, said she connected two additional instances of sexual abuse to Selby, including the rape of a 12-year-old girl and attempted rape another minor in November 1999. Police declined to share the age of the second minor, only saying that she was around the same age as the other victim.

Charges

Selby is charged with two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault, attempted rape, attempted statutory sexual assault, attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and attempted sexual assault.

Rosario is charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and sexual assault.

Court records show Selby had his preliminary arraignment on Friday afternoon and is being held at Lancaster County Prison. A docket sheet listing the charges against Selby said he was denied bail and described him as “a danger to the community.” His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 28.

Rosario was taken into custody Thursday and is free on $150,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 22.

“The arrest of former Officer Selby in connection with these heinous crimes is deeply shocking and saddened all of us at the bureau,” Mendez said. “We feel it's crucial to highlight that we are committed to ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their position or past affiliations, are held accountable for their actions. We are fully dedicated to pursuing truth and justice as we continue with this investigation.”

Mayor Danene Sorace spoke briefly at the press conference to express pride in the department’s arrests and work with the victims.

“I'm ... very inspired by these victims coming forward at this time,” Sorace said. “What I can speak to is how pleased and proud I am of the bureau today in helping these victims get a step closer to justice.”

Mendez said Selby could have assaulted more people and asked anyone with information to contact Higgins at 717-735-3319.

Selby and Rosario

A May 1994 story in the Lancaster New Era announced Selby’s joining the city police force. It said he was a graduate of J.B. McCaskey High School and had attended Millersville University. It also said he had served as a community service aide for the police department before his hiring.

Selby left the Lancaster city police force in August 2000. Mendez said he did not know where Selby went next. Civil court records filed with the Lancaster County Prothonotary’s office show Selby was sued for non-repayment of a debt and lost a home to foreclosure after he left the police force.

Rosario is a registered sex offender after an out-of-state conviction for a 2003 offense. He was sentenced to up to 23 months in prison in 2010 for failing to register in Pennsylvania in 2008.

A September 1997 Lancaster New Era story reported that Rosario, 18 at the time, was one of 11 people arrested on Beaver Street for selling drugs. A 1999 Sunday News story said a Roberto Rosario had been arrested in the 500 block of West Walnut Street “for drug related loitering.”

Court documents show that Rosario pleaded guilty to possession with intent to deliver heroin in 2011 and was sentenced to 5-10 years in prison. The records show that police raided a home in the 600 block of Lake Street on January 13, 2011, and found Rosario and four others. Police said a search turned up more than 800 bags of heroin and almost $4,600 in cash.