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William Morrissey III, 32, of Whitehead Lane, Throop, is facing charges of first-degree sexual abuse, official misconduct and endangering the welfare of a child after being accused of carrying on an inappropriate relationship with an Auburn High School student while serving as a school resource officer.

The APD said in a Thursday news release that as "a result of the internal investigation into this alleged relationship with the minor student, it was determined that overwhelming evidence exists to support that Morrissey was in fact pursuing and engaging in a relationship with the student."

The department said that upon being made aware of the allegations against him, Morrissey was immediately removed from school grounds and suspended from employment. His employment with the city was terminated "for cause" at noon Thursday.

"Morrissey’s actions are in direct conflict with everything we expect from an officer with the Auburn Police Department," the APD said. "The Auburn Police Department members and administration will strive forward with our dedicated and ethical personnel to overcome the actions of one officer to continue the excellent service our community expects."

Morrissey's attorney, George Hildebrandt, said Thursday afternoon that while he is not representing Morrissey regarding matters of employment, the criminal charges against Morrissey are not supported by the evidence.

Hildebrandt said that three weeks into the case, he has still not been provided any discovery materials and that the statement by the student included in court records should have— at worst — resulted in a misdemeanor charge rather than a felony.

The APD said that Morrissey was hired as a police officer on March 10, 2016, and assigned to the Auburn school district as a school resource officer in 2018.

The criminal complaint against Morrissey accuses him of "kissing and touching intimate parts" with the girl on multiple occasions, and placing the girl's hand on his private parts over his clothing.

Under the most serious of the charges Morrissey faces, the class D felony of first-degree sexual abuse, the maximum sentence for a conviction would be seven years in prison with three to 10 years of post-release supervision.

Acting Cayuga County District Attorney Brittany Grome Antonacci said earlier this month that Morrissey was charged under a provision of that crime that involves sexual contact through "forcible compulsion."

The official misconduct charge alleges that Morrissey used his position as a police officer and SRO to engage in inappropriate physical contact "with intent to obtain the benefit of his own sexual gratification."

The city of Auburn issued a statement following Morrissey's arrest that said City Manager Jeff Dygert and APD Chief James Slayton had received identical anonymous complaints about Morrissey in the mail on Monday, Feb. 28. Morrissey was removed from his post as SRO on Tuesday, March 1, while APD started an internal investigation into the anonymous claim.

"As the investigation into the claims progressed it quickly became evident there were legitimate and serious concerns related to the officer's relationship with a student," the APD release said.

To avoid conflicts of interest in a criminal investigation of one of its own officers, the APD then sought the assistance of the sheriff's office. Working with the APD, Cayuga County 911, Auburn Enlarged City School District and the Cayuga County District Attorney's Office, the sheriff's office collected information that led to Morrissey's arrest.