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Bethel Park police lieutenant indicted

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A Bethel Park police lieutenant is under federal indictment for allegedly transporting an illegal immigrant within the United States.

The Department of Justice announced the indictment in a press release Thursday. Blake Thomas Babin, 59, of Bethel Park, appeared in federal court in Downtown Pittsburgh Thursday afternoon to be arraigned on a single count of “transporting an illegal alien.”

Babin entered a plea of not guilty and was released on $10,000 unsecured bond.

According to the indictment, Babin is accused of moving the person with the knowledge that they were in the country illegally. Prosecutors allege this occurred between Oct. 20 and Dec. 30.

In a statement issued Thursday, Bethel Park police said Babin is a patrol lieutenant in charge of patrol, traffic officers, and the dispatch center. He has worked for Bethel Park since 1990.

“The Bethel Park Police Department cannot make any comment due to this being a personnel matter,” reads the statement.

The indictment is scant on details about the specifics of the case.

According to the DOJ, Babin faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.

The Pittsburgh branch of the FBI is leading the investigation.

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