Ex-Monongahela cop charged with on-duty sex assault

By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com
A former Monongahela police officer is accused of having unwanted sexual contact with a woman while he was on duty, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Wednesday.
Dustin Devault, 47, of Monongahela is charged with indecent assault, official oppression and obstructing justice, following a recommendation by a grand jury.
According to a statement released by the attorney general’s office, the alleged victim, who was not identified, turned to Devault in trust, which he allegedly took advantage of.
“Instead, he is charged with taking advantage of that trust to have unwanted sexual contact with her, and then reportedly lied about it to his superiors,” Shapiro said. “My office filed charges to hold him accountable for his egregious actions and to deliver justice for the victim.”
Shapiro said Devault met the woman during a traffic stop in the summer of 2018.
Following their initial meeting, the victim said she continued to exchange text messages with Devault after he told her that he could help her become a police officer and find treatment for a loved one battling addiction.
Amongst several conversations, Devault allegedly told the victim that he could told the woman he could help her become a police officer and seek treatment for a loved one who was suffering from addiction, the investigation found.
During one meeting on June 29, 2018, Devault allegedly arrived to meet the woman in a blue, unmarked Ford Taurus, while in full uniform, carrying his gun and his badge.
The victim allegedly got into the vehicle, and after driving for a short amount of time, accused Devault of touching her inappropriately several times and repeatedly asking her to participate in sexual intercourse.
She told the grand jury she froze during the situation.
“When you are in that situation, you just freeze,” she testified. “You don’t know what to do. He has a gun on him. He is a police officer. And I’m just a female. I just wanted to survive that moment.”
The grand jury believes Devault was not truthful with his superiors about his interactions with the woman and also encouraged a co-worker to lie on his behalf.
According to Shapiro, Devault has since been removed from his position with the Monongahela police department though it is unclear when that occurred.
Shapiro said he is currently employed as a part-time officer for the Forward Township Police Department and a police officer for Highmark. A Highmark spokesman said Devault was in a training program to become a police officer there and was terminated because of the charges.
An attorney for Devault wasn’t listed in online court records and he could not be reached for comment.
The case will be prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Patrick Schulte will prosecute the case.
Neither Forward nor Monongahela police could be reached for comment Wednesday.
Devault is scheduled for a preliminary hearing 2 p.m. Oct. 2 before Magisterial District Judge Jesse Pettit.

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