A Lower Saucon Township man who is a former volunteer for Northampton County’s Meals on Wheels meal delivery program for homebound residents and reportedly passed the organization’s required background checks for volunteers is accused of sexually assaulting a Northampton borough woman to whom he delivered meals last winter, acccording to an article published by the Morning Call Wednesday.
Mark Steven Walker, 61, of the 2000 block of Pleasant Drive, is accused of touching and kissing the woman and forcing her to touch him, and was committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $150,000 bail after being arraigned on charges of indecent assault, criminal attempted aggravated indecent assault and aggravated indecent assault Wednesday, the news story indicated.
Northampton County Meals on Wheels released a statement in response to the announcement about the charges, in which the organization said it is “shocked and saddened” by the allegations, and noted that it is “in the process of evaluating our volunteer vetting process for any further enhancements.”
The full statement from JoAnn Bergeron Nenow, Executive Director of Meals on Wheels of Northampton County, is as follows:
First and foremost, Meals On Wheels of Northampton County was shocked and saddened to learn of these allegations. We are deeply troubled by this accusation; caring for homebound and disabled seniors through our meal delivery program is at the heart of what we do.
We have been working closely with Northampton Borough Police to ascertain the facts surrounding this alleged incident, which occurred on a day when Meals On Wheels of Northampton County volunteers were not delivering meals to any clients due to a snow storm.
Our team of more than 1,000 volunteers dedicate their time to help their neighbors and must meet stringent safeguards to serve clients. Volunteers are required to submit to a criminal background check and undergo extensive training before they go out to deliver meals to our homebound seniors. The individual in question, who was a volunteer for about six months, passed our clearance checks and training. We are in the process of evaluating our volunteer vetting process for any further enhancements.
Meals On Wheels of Northampton County has always and will continue to keep the health and well-being of our seniors and disabled individuals at the forefront of our mission.
