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The Latest: Ex-officer held without bail on rape charges

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Latest on the arrest of former Philadelphia police detective Philip Nordo on sexual assault charges related to witnesses and suspects (all times local):

5:20 p.m.

A judge has ordered a former Philadelphia police officer accused of raping and sexually assaulting multiple male witnesses and suspects held in protective custody without bail.

Philip Nordo was arrested Tuesday on more than 35 charges. His lawyer said during a preliminary arraignment that the 52-year-old Nordo maintains his innocence.

The charges come after a heavily redacted grand jury presentment was unsealed showing allegations that Nordo had used his position to intimidate and groom male suspects and witnesses into sexual acts.

The former detective was fired in 2017 after an allegation was received that he had improperly paid a witness and had fraternized with people connected to criminal conduct.

A spokesman for the district attorney's office has declined to comment on the charges, but at least one case Nordo worked on has been dismissed after the allegations surfaced.

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11:30 a.m.

A former Philadelphia police officer has been arrested on allegations that he sexually assaulted male witnesses and suspects over more than a decade.

A spokesman for the Philadelphia District Attorney confirmed that 52-year-old Philip Nordo was arrested Tuesday morning and was scheduled to be arraigned in the multi-count grand jury presentment Tuesday afternoon.

Authorities allege that Nordo used his position to intimidate and groom male suspects and witnesses into sexual encounters. The heavily redacted presentment contains roughly 35 charges related to three victims including rape, stalking and sexual assault.

Nordo was fired in 2017 after an allegation was received that he improperly paid a witness and had fraternized with people connected to criminal conduct.

A phone call to an attorney previously listed for Nordo was not immediately returned Tuesday.