New York police officer charged with child molestation
NEW YORK-- A New York Police Department officer has been charged for child molestation in Brooklyn.
According to an indictment, 33-year-old Jacob Sabbagh was charged Wednesday with a course of sexual conduct against a child (a felony reserved for sex crimes that take place over three months or more), sex abuse in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child.
Sabbagh, who was a friend of the victim's family, was released without bail because of the dated nature of the claims, his ties to the community and his role as a police officer, a law enforcement official said.
The abuse took place while the officer was off-duty, between 2005 and 2008, beginning when the girl was 10 and continuing until she was 13, according to the source. The girl reported the abuse to her mother in 2011, when she was 16, but the investigation did not begin until 2014, partly because the victim and her family were out of the country.
The indictment details multiple forms of alleged sexual contact between Sabbagh and his victim.
It's unclear if Sabbagh has an attorney who could comment on the charge.
According to the law enforcement source, it's not unusual for police officers to be released on their own recognizance for serious crimes. For example, the NYPD officer who was charged with murdering Akai Gurly in Brooklyn housing project stairwell in November 2014 was also released without bail.