The former Auburn School Resource Officer who sexually abused a student is going to prison.
Back in September, William Morrissey III pled guilty to two felony charges of Sexual Abuse and Disseminating Indecent Material to Minors as well as misdemeanor counts of Official Misconduct and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. These charges stemmed from his March 2022 arrest after being accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl while he was an SRO at Auburn High School.
The Citizen reports Morrissey was sentenced on Thursday to two years in prison followed by ten years post release supervision and one to three years in prison for the respective felonies. For the misdemenors, he was sentenced to 364 days in jail, to be joined with the other two sentences.
Shortly after his arrest, Morrissey was fired by the Auburn Police Department after an internal investigation by the department found “overwhelming evidence exists to support that Morrissey was in fact pursuing and engaging in a relationship with the student.” He had served with the APD since March of 2016, becoming an SRO with the district in 2018.
In March of 2023, Morrissey was indicted for Criminal Contempt after he allegedly violated an order of protection against the teen by contacting her via Snapchat in October of 2022.
Also in March, Morrissey claimed his rights were violated, saying an internal investigation by the APD improperly influcenced the investigation by the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office, which led to his arrest. This claim was rejected by Judge Thomas Leone in May.
