Former cop indicted for sexual assault of 4 children – NJ.com

A former East Orange police officer has been indicted on charges he sexually assaulted four children beginning more than 20 years ago.

A grand jury sitting in Union County handed up a 16-count indictment against former Roselle resident Edward Giles, the county prosecutor’s office announced Tuesday.

He has been on house arrest since a detention hearing following his arrest more than two years ago.

Authorities allege Giles committed some of the sexual assaults at his home on the 300 block of West 4th Avenue in Roselle starting in 1998. Giles had access to children when he served as a community resource officer and youth football director for the East Orange Police Athletic League, officials said. He also was a foster parent for several children.

Authorities say the first victim came forward in March 2019, claiming that while Giles coached the East Orange Wildcats football team, Giles sexually assaulted the boy from 1998 to 2000 while the victim was 11 to 13 years old. Another boy told investigators he was sexually assaulted from 2002 to 2003 when he was between 12 and 13 years old.

Cameras hidden in clocks in bedrooms, old Polaroid pictures of naked boys and surveillance video of children engaging in sex acts were among the 44 items recovered from Giles’ home when authorities executed a search warrant at his home in 2019.

A criminal complaint obtained by NJ Advance Media two years ago details six alleged assaults at his home, where he would bring some football players whose parents worked late. He would sometimes let the boys stay overnight when they needed a place to stay, authorities said.

One boy told investigators would “fall asleep on the couch and somehow woke up in Giles’ bed with no pants on,” the complaint states. A second victim met Giles when he got into trouble at school in East Orange, and Giles would often bring him gifts and check on him, according to the complaint.

Giles was indicted on the following charges:

• two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child
• two counts aggravated sexual assault of a child victim over whom the defendant had supervisory or disciplinary power
• five counts of various second-degree sexual offenses against a child victim
• four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child by photographing or videotaping child in a prohibited sexual act
• three counts of third-degree invasion of privacy.

Anyone with additional information about Giles is asked to call Union County Prosecutor’s Office Lieutenant Sofia Santos at 908-577-4256.

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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.