Former Lifeguard At John B. Kelly Pool In West Philadelphia Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Teen Girl
Follow CBSPHILLY Facebook Twitter
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A former lifeguard at a West Philadelphia public pool is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl.
Philadelphia police say 35-year-old Michael Daniels was the supervising lifeguard at John B. Kelly Pool in Fairmount Park at the time of the assault. The victim was a lifeguard at the facility.
During a press conference on Wednesday morning, Philadelphia Police Capt. Sekou Kinebrew said the assault happened multiple times during the course of the summer. Daniels had worked on and off at the John B. Kelly Pool since 2013. He has also worked at the Marian Anderson Recreation Center at 740 South 17th St. last month.
Daniels was arrested on Monday and charged with contact with a minor, corruption of minors, and indecent assault.
"In cases like this sometimes there's more than one victim that we don't know about and we want parents of children who visited the rec center or parents of other employees to be aware that this happened," said Kinebrew.
Police are asking parents of minors who worked at the pool or may have visited the pool to speak with their children and contact authorities if they believe they were victims.
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell released this statement on the charges:
"Philadelphia Parks & Recreation is deeply troubled that this individual worked in the system and takes this allegation very seriously. Mr. Daniels was a seasonal employee with Parks & Recreation and served as a Lifeguard 2 at Kelly Pool. Upon learning from the Philadelphia Police Department that he was under investigation, he was immediately relieved of his duties and has since been terminated. We are currently undergoing a thorough review of our hiring practices. We will make any changes necessary to ensure that all seasonal PPR staff follow the proper guidelines and procedures. The safety of our employees and visitors is of utmost importance and we encourage anyone who has information to share regarding this incident to report it to the Philadelphia Police Department."
