Investigation nets cop commendation
NEW HANOVER » Police Cpl. Michael Salvo was awarded a commendation by the township supervisors for his work on an extensive investigation involving sexual contact between a teacher and juvenile at Coventry Christian School.
In April 2019, police became aware of the matter, which involved numerous instances of sexual contact.
Police received information pertaining to statements made by a teenage girl to a therapist, according to court papers. The report, according to a criminal complaint, “indicated that there was a sexual relationship between the juvenile and her former teacher while she was enrolled at the Coventry Christian School,” as reported in The Mercury last August.
Salvo was assigned to investigate.
“The investigation required countless hours of exhaustive investigative work and ultimately resulted in the successful prosecution and conviction of a dangerous sexual predator,” according to the commendation Salvo received.
In February, Scott Brandon Cline, 33, formerly of the 100 block of Berks Street, Pottstown, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 11½ to 23 months in the county jail, to be followed by four years’ probation, after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of school sexual contact with a student in connection with incidents that occurred with a 16-year-old girl between February and August 2018.
The sentence, imposed by Judge Richard P. Haaz as part of a plea agreement, means Cline will be under court supervision for a total of about six years, Hessler reported.
“This was a highly sensitive case given the circumstances, and Corporal Salvo’s tireless dedication to the pursuit of justice was exemplary and potentially prevented the victimization of other students,” read the commendation.
Salvo became a member of the New Hanover Township Police Department in 2011. He is a graduate of Temple University Police Academy, where he finished at the top of his class.
In addition to patrol duties, Salvo has served as a criminal investigator, a field training officer, and he is currently the department’s lead firearms instructor. Salvo has been recognized for numerous police commendations to include those presented for actions taken during the life-saving efforts of an infant, and for the apprehension of dangerous home intruders.
Prior to police work, Salvo served on active duty in the United States Marine Corps infantry. During his time with the USMC, Salvo completed two tours of duty within Iraq. He completed his first overseas tour as an infantry machine gunner, and his second as a scout sniper team leader.
In addition to his law enforcement and military experience, Salvo has earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Albright College, as well as a master’s degree in Law Enforcement Intelligence from Saint Joseph’s University.