CLEARFIELD – A Frenchville man entered a guilty plea Wednesday to the sexual assault of two young girls.
According to Clearfield County District Attorney William A. Shaw Jr., Lester Middlesworth Jr. will now have to be evaluated to determine whether he is a sexually violent predator.
“If he meets the criteria, the commonwealth will seek a hearing in an effort to have Lester declared a sexually violent predator,” said Shaw in an e-mail to GantDaily. “If he does not meet the criteria, Lester will be declared a sexual offender.
“Under either scenario, Lester will be subject to the registration requirements of Megan’s law. This all must occur before sentencing which should happen in about 90 days. At that time, there may be a hearing to declare Lester a sexually violent predator, it all depends on the assessment.”
A preliminary hearing was held a little over one year ago on the case. Both girls testified that Middlesworth would come over to their house and commit inappropriate acts while their parents were either home or away. One girl said the events happened in either spring or late summer, while the other girl said they occurred in fall. Both girls remembered the time of year as “warm but chilly.”
Both testified as to events that took place both in the house and once outside when their dog ran away. According to the affidavit of probable cause, one girl told police this incident took place two or three days after a New Years eve party.
One sister figured the events took place in 1998 or 1999. Middlesworth was 15 at the time.
While the girls never told their mother what happened originally, it was when one of the girls was at bingo with her mother when she saw Middlesworth enter the bingo hall. The girl froze up and eventually told her mother what happened.
Keep reading GantDaily for more on this story as it develops.