PHILADELPHIA — A Democrat township commissioner in Pennsylvania who had authority over local police has been taken into custody for an alleged sexual assault of a minor, according to reports.
Darby Township Commissioner Marvin E. Smith is accused of driving a 15-year-old teen to a park, exposed himself, and sexually assaulted the boy, according to authorities. He then dropped the victim off at “an unknown location” and drove away, according to police.
The alleged sexual assault occurred in August 2017, when Smith reportedly approached the teen in West Philadelphia and offered him a ride home. He reportedly posed as a family friend, the Post Millennial reported.
It’s not unusual for victims of sexual assault to delay reporting for a myriad of reasons, and that is what occurred in this case. The victim disclosed the crime to investigators in 2019, according to police.
“It’s unclear why authorities didn’t arrest Smith for two years after the initial report was made and why he didn’t surrender for weeks after a warrant was issued,” 6ABC notes.
Smith, 50, currently serves as the 1st Ward Commissioner for Darby Township. He was elected as a Democrat in 2019.
However, last Tuesday Smith surrendered to Philadelphia police for booking, 6ABC reported. He’s been charged with rape, sexual assault, luring, and related offenses.
Smith was released from custody Wednesday on $100,000 bail, according to court documents.
Part of Smith’s role as commissioner is to oversee the municipality’s police department. Nevertheless, last fall, he was removed from that position and faced calls to resign after sharing an anti-police meme on his social media, the Post Millennial reported.
The meme depicted two black men pointing guns at a white police officer and is captioned: “Does it Have to come to This to make them Stop Murdering and Terrorizing Us?”
The picture drew a sharp rebuke from the Delaware County Council and District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer. It also brought heavy criticism from local police unions, including the Fraternal Order of Police, reported The Inquirer in 2020.
Joseph Fitzgerald, president of the FOP’s Delaware County lodge, called for Smith’s resignation at the time. He said Smith is “unfit” to serve the residents of Darby Township, a community on Philadelphia’s border where about 39% of the 9,200 residents are Black and 57% are white.
“This inflammatory post puts our police officers in grave danger and targets them for unnecessary violence and vitriol,” Fitzgerald said.
Smith later offered an apology for sharing the photo and promised to view these and other political issues from a “more educated perspective.”
