Former part-time Delaware County, Pennsylvania, police officer charged with rape, court docs show
A part-time police officer in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, was charged with raping a minor, one day before being fatally shot by police in Lower Merion Township.
Francis Collier was charged on Tuesday, Feb. 24, with multiple offenses, including rape of a child, involuntary sexual intercourse with a child, incest of a minor, endangering welfare of children, indecent assault and more, a docket sheet shows. Multiple sources close to the investigation said the victim is a relative.
The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said Collier was shot and killed by Lower Merion Township Police when officers confronted him in Bala Cynwyd Wednesday morning. According to the DA, Collier fired at the responding police officers first. When police returned fire, he was fatally shot.
Collier was previously listed as an officer on the Borough of Morton's website.
In a statement Wednesday, the Morton Police Department said they were notified in December 2025 that Collier was under investigation related to criminal allegations from "many years ago" when Collier may have been a teenager. The department said Collier was placed on administrative leave before he resigned on Dec. 19.
"There have been no allegations of criminal conduct against him during his tenure as a Morton Police Officer," the statement said in part.