CLEARFIELD – A former carnival worker was in court Tuesday to plead guilty for inappropriately touching a 13-year-old girl.
Tyler John Sears, 21, 406 W. Clay St., Mebane, NC, currently an inmate of the jail, was charged with indecent assault after an incident Aug. 5 in Lawrence Township when he allegedly touched the victim’s breast and kissed her neck.
Sears had signed a plea agreement for 87 days or time served in this case. After hearing comments from the girl’s mother, father and step-father who all disagreed with the sentence, President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman rejected the plea. His case will be added to the trial list.
The girl’s mother called the sentence “a slap on the wrist.” Her father stated that his daughter is just a child and he felt Sears should be reprimanded more harshly. Her step-father described her as naive and said Sears took advantage of her. He was also upset that Sears had “violated my space” and “hurt my daughter.”
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Sears met the victim while he was working on the midway on Aug. 2 during the Clearfield County Fair. She told police she gave him her phone number on Aug. 4 and they began texting each other. On Aug. 5 she invited him to her home and they met in the backyard. A friend of the victim was also present.
While there, Sears grabbed the girl’s breast. The girl pushed his hand away, but Sears then kissed her on the neck. The victim and her friend ran into her home.
She told police he knew she was 13 years old. Unfortunately the victim had deleted all of their text messages from her phone.
Police contacted the friend who confirmed the victim’s story.
Officers next spoke to Sears at the fair grounds. He was taken to the police station where he was questioned.
At first he denied meeting with the girl or her friend, but he consented to a search of his phone. An officer was able to find the text message conversation he had with the victim, which included directions to her home.
Sears then changed his story admitting he had met the girls. He denied kissing the victim and said they only “hung out.” He said he did know she was only 13 years old.
Eventually, he corroborated the victim’s story. He stated he knew a “skin on skin charge” would be coming out of this and he had “messed up.”