Store clerk charged with groping child in Castleton

CASTLETON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Schodack Police Department reported the arrest of an Albany man last week after a longstanding sex crime investigation. Salah Osman, 71, is facing several charges.

On October 29, 2024, Schodack PD responded to a call for officers at "The Store," a convenience store on South Main Street in Castleton. A 13-year-old victim at the scene told police that a clerk at the business at the time, later identified as Osman, had allegedly touched the child inappropriately while working at the store.

During the ensuing investigation, SPD applied for an arrest warrant for Osman, only to find he had reportedly left the country. Police learned in late March that he had returned to the U.S., and Osman subsequently surrendered himself to officers on April 2. He now faces the following charges:

• Forcible touching
• Second-degree sexual abuse
• Endangering the welfare of a child

Osman was arraigned before Judge Ryan Mullahy at Schodack Justice Court. He was then held at the Rensselaer County Jail on $10,000 cash bail, $10,000 bond, or $50,000 partially secured bond.