RELATED: Police: Springfield Twp. firefighter ‘tearful’ during alleged confession
Monroe was accused of sexually assaulting four victims in the Springfield Twp. Fire Department’s cadet program, where he served as the training instructor.
Monroe’s attorney, Regina Richards, said her client rejected a proposed deal Friday because Monroe hasn’t been evaluated by a mental health expert yet for competency related to an alleged confession. Court records show Monroe visited the Springfield Police Division in April this year, where he allegedly confessed to sexually assaulting four victims.
But Richards said her client’s alleged confession might have been embellished.
READ MORE: Springfield Twp. firefighter accused of assaulting cadets for years
“The circumstances surrounding the confession are inherently unreliable,” Richards said.
She said prosecutors set a deadline to accept or reject the plea agreement by Friday. But the deadline didn’t provide enough time for her client to be properly evaluated, she said, so the deal was rejected.
“The problem with that is you can’t quickly plea someone without doing an adequate investigation,” Richards said.
DETAILS: Springfield Twp. firefighter indicted on sexual abuse charges
According to court records, detectives read Monroe his rights, which he said he understood. Monroe is being held in the Clark County Jail on a $100,000 bond, Clark County Assistant Prosecutor Andrew Picek said.
Prosecutors offered a plea deal in which Monroe could plead guilty to one count of rape and two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, Picek said. Under that agreement, Monroe would have faced a minimum sentence of 10 years to life and a maximum sentence of 13 years to life.
While he declined to go into detail, Picek said prosecutors will likely seek additional charges based on the facts of the case.
“The state is going to ask the grand jury to consider additional charges for Mr. Monroe,” Picek said.
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