A former Saugerties police officer was arraigned this week on charges of sexual assault and burglary following the alleged stalking and workplace sexual harassment of an individual, the Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji said Thursday.

A county grand jury indicted Dion Johnson, 35, of Newburgh, on Sept. 26 on 11 counts, including charges of first-degree sex abuse, second-degree burglary, both felonies, and other offenses relating to unwanted sexual contact and workplace sexual harassment committed in 2020 and 2021 during his four years as a Saugerties police officer, Nneji said.

The indictment alleges Johnson stalked and harassed an individual leading up to a sexual assault and burglary of the same victim. "In July of 2020 through October of 2021, Johnson repeatedly engaged in such conduct while in uniform and cloaked with the authority of his public office as a police officer; he would be expected to charge and arrest any civilian who engaged in similar conduct," Nneji said.

The Saugerties Police Department started an internal affairs investigation into Johnson's conduct before the matter was referred to the state attorney general’s office, which then completed its investigation and referred it to the Ulster County district attorney's office in July 2023, Nneji said.

Johnson resigned in August, according to Interim Saugerties Police Chief K.J. Swart. He was released on $25,000 bail, Nneji said.