CLEARFIELD – An amusement ride operator accused of having inappropriate contact with a girl when they met in the backyard at her house fair week waived the charges to court Wednesday.
Tyler J. Sears, 21, of Mebane, NC has been charged with indecent assault of person less than 16 years of age and harassment. He remains incarcerated at the jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, the victim allegedly met a male, Sears, at the Clearfield County Fair on Aug. 2. Sears operated a ride known as the Himalayan.
On Aug. 4, the victim gave Sears her phone number, and they started to text-message each other. On Aug. 5, the victim asked Sears to come to her house and they met in her backyard.
While engaged in conversation, the victim alleged that Sears grabbed her breast and she pushed his hand away. She alleged that Sears then kissed her on the neck.
Afterward the victim told police she jumped up and ran into her house with a friend. She also told police she’d let Sears know she was 13 years old when they started to text-message on Aug. 4.
However, the victim told police that she had deleted all of the messages that she had exchanged with Sears. Police interviewed the victim’s friend who confirmed her story.
On Aug. 8, police went to the fairgrounds and located Sears. He was requested to come to the township police station for questioning, which he did.
While speaking with Sears, he denied meeting the victim or her friend. Police received consent to search his phone and located a text-message conversation with the victim.
Sears then changed his story, admitting he’d met the victim after midnight on the date in question. Sears denied kissing the victim and claimed the three of them only hung out before he left.
During the investigation, Sears corroborated the victim and her friend’s stories. He later admitted to placing his arms around the victim prior to leaving her house.
Sears also admitted to police that he knew the victim was 13 years of age. He also said he knew a “skin-on-skin” exchange would come of it, and he had “messed up.”
