A former Auburn School Resource Officer has pled guilty to multiple charges related to the sexual abuse of a minor.
According to the Cayuga County District Attorney’s Office, 33-year-old William Morrissey III pled guilty to felony charges of Sexual Abuse and Disseminating Indecent Material to Minors as a Sexually Motivated Felony as well as misdemeanor counts of Official Misconduct and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
In his plea, Morrissey admitted in court to having had sexual contact with the victim by “forcible compulsion for his own sexual gratification.” He also admitted to subjecting the child to sexual acts and having explicit conversations with the victim while employed as an SRO, an unauthorized exercise of his official functions.
When sentenced on December 21, Morrissey faces a two-year determinate prison sentence followed by 10 years post-release supervision. He will also be subject to the Sex Offender Registration Act.
Morrissey was accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old female student at Auburn High School in March of 2022.
In March of 2023, Morrissey claimed his rights were violated, claiming an internal investigation by the Auburn Police Department improperly influenced the investigation conducted by the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office which led to his arrest. Judge Thomas Leone refused to dismiss the indictment.
That same month, it was announced by District Attorney Brittany Grome Antonocci that Morrissey had been indicted by a grand jury on a contempt charge. He was alleged to have violated an order of protection by contacting the protected party via Snapchat in October of 2022.
