REYNOLDSVILLE BOROUGH, Pa. (EYT) – An area man is facing felony charges for the alleged rape of a five-year-old girl in Reynoldsville.
Court documents indicate the Reynoldsville Borough Police Department filed the following criminal charges against 38-year-old William Dean Rockwell, of DuBois:
– Rape of Child, Felony 1 (four counts)
– Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse With Child, Felony 1 (two counts)
– Unlawful Contact With Minor – Sexual Offenses, Felony 1 (two counts)
– Endangering Welfare of Children – Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense, Felony 2 (two counts)
– Sexual Assault, Felony 2 (two counts)
– Indecent Assault Person Less than 13 Years of Age, Misdemeanor 1 (two counts)
The charges stem from the alleged sexual assault of a young child that occurred in Reynoldsville Borough, Jefferson County.
According to a criminal complaint filed on Dec. 23 in Magisterial District Judge David B. Inzana’s office, Sergeant Murray, of the Reynoldsville Borough Police Department, received a Childline report on Nov. 22 indicating a five-year-old child had been sexually assaulted by William Dean Rockwell.
According to the complaint, Rockwell had been babysitting the victim at a residence in Reynoldsville Borough on Oct. 14. The following day, the victim told a known family member about a “secret game” she played with Rockwell. When asked how to play the game, the victim did not want to tell “because it was a secret.”
The victim was interviewed at the Clearfield County Child Advocacy Center on Nov. 21.
She disclosed the details of the “secret game called the rainbow power save the princess and bad guy game” to the interviewer; she said she “changed into her rainbow dress because it was a rainbow game.” The “secret game” included sexual contact and rape, the complaint indicates.
The victim told the interviewer that she started to cry during the “game,” and she was bleeding, and she “puked because she did not feel good.”
She also told the interviewer “it was the most terriblest thing ever,” the complaint states.
The victim was given an examination by a medical examiner following the interview. However, the exam could not be completed due to the victim’s fear of being hurt. The medical examiner gave the opinion – taking into account the disclosure of sexual abuse and the victim’s extreme fear of pain when the exam was attempted – that the victim had undergone a traumatic event such as a sexual assault, according to the complaint.
Rockwell was interviewed twice: on Dec. 5 and on Dec. 16.
Rockwell admitted to babysitting the victim on Oct. 14 and admitted to playing “the princess game” with the victim and acknowledged that the victim changed into her rainbow dress for the game.
While Rockwell was able to remember details of how to play other games that he and the victim had played previously, he was unable to recall the details of how the princess game was played, according to the complaint.
He denied touching the victim inappropriately; however, he admitted to masturbating in the bathroom and using methamphetamine that day while the victim was in his care, the complaint states.
When he was questioned about a specific term the victim used to refer to his genitals, he allegedly responded by saying “we didn’t call it that.”
According to the complaint, Rockwell made other comments throughout the interviews that were “alarming.”
He stated the victim “made him feel like nobody has ever made him feel before,” and said “the worst part of this is he will never see her again.”
He also said he “cherished the time they had together because it gave him purpose,” the complaint indicates.
When Rockwell was told the victim was able to describe his genitals, he stated the victim walked in on him in the bathroom.
Parts of Rockwell’s story also changed from the first interview to the second interview. During the first interview, when asked if the victim seemed sick, he stated the victim seemed fine, but during the second interview, he said the victim may have thrown up, the complaint indicates.
Rockwell initially agreed to a polygraph, but later refused when he was called to schedule the test.
He was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge David B. Inzana at 8:05 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 23.
Unable to post $200,000 monetary bail, he remains lodged in the Jefferson County Jail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23, with Judge Inzana presiding.
Read more: https://www.explorejeffersonpa.com/.
