Capitol Police Bicycle Patrol Officer Joshua Chilcote     

By Jillian Pikora From Daily Voice

An Upper Allen Township man — who served as both a Pennsylvania Capitol Police bicycle patrol officer and a probationary officer with the East Pennsboro Township Police Department — approached two young children at a local park and walked them to a gas station without their parents’ knowledge, police announced on Friday, Dec. 5.

Joshua Chilcote, 36, of the 2300 block of Oakwood Hills Drive in Mechanicsburg, was identified as the man who approached a 10-year-old and an 11-year-old at a township park in July 2025, according to the release.

Police said Chilcote offered to buy the children snacks and then walked with them to a nearby gas station. Their parents were unaware they had left the park. The children returned about 45 minutes later.

Chilcote was charged with two counts of Interference with Custody of Children. He appeared for his preliminary hearing on Thursday, Dec. 4, where he pleaded guilty to a lesser offense, police said.

Chilcote had been officially sworn in as an officer with the Pennsylvania Capitol Police in Aug. 2024. According to the agency’s announcement, he was raised in Mechanicsburg, graduated from Bible Baptist High School in Shiremanstown, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Messiah College, and previously taught high school English. He had also expressed interest in joining the Capitol Police Bicycle Patrol Unit.

He additionally served as a probationary officer with the East Pennsboro Township Police Department, according to public records.

No further details on his employment status with either agency were provided.