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Violent crime declined steadily from 2007 to 2017. Alex N. Gecan, @GeeksterTweets

A 30-year veteran of the East Orange Police Department has been arrested and charged with numerous serious sexual crimes against two children, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo announced Wednesday.

Sgt. Edward Giles, 59, is charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault of a child, two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault of a child victim over whom the defendant had supervisory or disciplinary power, one count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, five counts of various second-degree sexual offenses against a child victim, two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of third-degree sexual offenses against a child victim, and two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, Ruotolo said in a news release.

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Giles is a community resource officer who has spent years serving as the youth football director of the East Orange Police Athletic League (PAL), the release states.

“This defendant took advantage of his position of trust in the community as a means to victimize children,” Ruotolo said in the release. “We believe that there are likely additional victims yet to be identified, and we are urging anyone with information to come forward and help bring him to justice.”

A seven-month investigation by the Special Victims Unit of the Union County Prosecutor’s Office was initiated earlier this year upon a referral by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, after it was determined that several of the alleged incidents occurred at Giles’s home on the 300 block of West Fourth Avenue in Roselle, according to SVU Supervisor/Union County Assistant Prosecutor Caroline Lawlor and Union County Assistant Prosecutor Jessica Kahn, who are prosecuting the case.

The investigation revealed that the first victim, a student-athlete playing for the East Orange Wildcats youth football team, then coached by Giles, was allegedly assaulted on several occasions from 1998 into 2000, when he was between 11 and 13 years old, Lawlor said. The second victim, also a youth football player, was allegedly assaulted from 2002 into 2003, when he was between 12 and 13 years old.

Giles was arrested without incident at his home on Friday and lodged in Union County Jail ahead of a first appearance that took place Sunday. A detention hearing has been tentatively scheduled for Oct. 17, at which time the State will request that Giles be ordered to remain incarcerated while the case remains pending.

Anyone with information about the activities of Giles is being urged to contact Union County Prosecutor’s Office Sgt. Sofia Santos at 908-577-4256 or Detective Ryan Kirsh at 908-347-1420. The Union County Crime Stoppers are also offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to any additional indictment in this case; tips can be given anonymously by phone at 908-654-TIPS (8477) or online at www.uctip.org.

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