Radnor pol gets trial date for nursing home assault case
MEDIA COURTHOUSE >> Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge John Capuzzi has set a trial date of May 25 to hear the case of a former Radnor Township commissioner accused of fondling a 103-year-old resident at the Wayne Nursing Home.
William Spingler, 75, of Paoli, is charged with three counts of indecent assault on a person with a mental disability for three separate incidents that allegedly took place last Dec. 15, Dec. 17 and Dec. 23.
Police were first called to the facility Dec. 16, where one employee said Spingler came in Dec. 15 and kissed the alleged victim on the lips, then briefly touched her right breast, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The employee said she immediately reported the incident to her unit manager, then returned to the room and stood behind Spingler unnoticed. The employee said Spingler had his hand underneath a blanket covering the resident, “moving around her chest area in a manner that could not be misconstrued with anything else but inappropriate touching,” according to the affidavit.
Spingler, represented by defense attorney Jim Pierce, continued the alleged inappropriate touching for about a minute until he became aware of the employee’s presence, the affidavit states. He then allegedly slowly removed his hand from under the blanket and left the facility.
Another employee who had been alerted of the first alleged incident told police she was wary of Spingler’s interaction with the resident when he returned Dec. 17 and kept an eye on the pair. She also observed Spingler using his right hand under a blanket covering the woman that day to massage her chest in a way “not to be mistaken for any assistance of any kind,” the affidavit states.
When Spingler noticed the employee watching him Dec. 17, he allegedly became red in the face and left the facility.
A Registered Nurse and unit manager for the resident’s floor called Radnor Detective Christopher Four on Dec. 23 after allegedly witnessing the third incident, the affidavit states.
The nurse said Spingler was hugging the alleged victim while saying goodbye and wrapped an arm around her, then grabbed “a good amount of material to include skin in the chest area,” according to the affidavit. The resident’s face indicated she was uncomfortable and she began to pull away, according to the nurse. When confronted, Spingler allegedly said, “What?” and bid the alleged victim goodbye again before departing.
Spingler was the first Democrat to join the Radnor Board of Commissioners in 1970. He also served as a county commissioner from 1972 to 1980 and ran unsuccessfully for the 7th District congressional seat in 1986. He returned to the Radnor board in 1991 and stayed in office until 2015, stepping down as president.
Spingler remains free on $10,000 unsecured bail. He has been ordered to have no contact with the nursing home resident. Assistant District Attorney Ryan Grace is prosecuting.