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

Additional criminal charges have been filed against a 30-year veteran of the East Orange Police Department alleged to have committed numerous serious sexual crimes against four children, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo announced Wednesday.

Edward Giles, 59, is charged with four second-degree counts of photographing or videotaping a child in a prohibited sexual act, and three third-degree counts of photographing or videotaping a nude child without their knowledge, Ruotolo said in a release.

Earlier, Giles had been 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.

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

A seven-month, continuing 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’ home on the 300 block of West Fourth Avenue in Roselle, according to SVU Director/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.

Following the execution of a search warrant earlier this month and seizure of numerous electronic devices, forensic examination of some of these items led to the additional charges. The recordings were made at various times from April 2018 into October 2019, when the victims were between the ages of 13 and 15 years old, according to the release.

Giles was arrested without incident at his home on Oct. 11 and lodged in Union County Jail ahead of a first appearance that took place several days later. A detention hearing has been tentatively scheduled for Oct. 23, at which time the State will request that Giles be ordered to remain incarcerated while the case remains pending, the release states.

An attorney representing Giles called the initial charges “meritless” and said allegations had arisen previously but hadn’t been deemed sufficient for criminal charges, according to the Associated Press.

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.

Read or Share this story: https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/crime/2019/10/23/east-orange-nj-police-sgt-edward-giles-faces-more-child-sex-charges/4076810002/