A volunteer firefighter has been suspended, after police in Northampton County accused him of having sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl.
Michael A. Dempsey Jr., 40, of Northampton, is charged with aggravated indecent assault, corruption of minors, and unlawful contact with a minor, according to court paperwork.
In a news release, the Northampton Borough Fire Department said Dempsey was suspended from the department pending further review. An online posting of the fire department’s 2026-27 roster listed Dempsey as a captain.
The department said it conducts criminal-background and child-abuse clearance checks of its members as required by law and the conduct alleged is inconsistent with the values and standards of the Northampton Fire Department.
“Residents can be assured that this matter will not disrupt the Department’s service to the borough of Northampton or the surrounding communities,” the department said. “This being a pending legal matter, the department has no further comment.”
The girl told officers with the Northampton Police Department in a 2019 interview that Dempsey in 2018 pulled down her pants and underwear and then assaulted her, court documents say.
Court paperwork says the alleged incident happened at a detached garage near a home in Northampton.
The girl pushed Dempsey away and immediately pulled up her clothing and ran into the home, police said.
According to court documents, the girl told police she initially feared reporting the assault to anyone else.
The girl talked about the assault during a therapy session on April 2019, resulting in a mandated ChildLine report and the initiation of an investigation, according to court paperwork.
A review of departmental records revealed that the investigation remained open, but no additional investigative action was documented, according to court documents.
An officer with the Northampton Police Department was directed to review the unresolved sexual assault investigation in May 2026.
The officer spoke to the victim, now an adult, and she provided an account that was consistent with the statement she gave investigators in April 2019, court documents say.