PERRY TWP., Pa. (EYT) — A Punxsutawney man is facing charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a young girl in Perry Township.
Court records indicate Punxsutawney-based State Police filed criminal charges against 40-year-old Patrick Alan Hughes, of Punxsutawney, in District Judge Jacqueline J. Mizerock’s office on Wednesday, June 5.
According to a criminal complaint, the incident happened sometime between March 22 and March 28, 2024, in Perry Township, Jefferson County.
PSP Punxsutawney Trooper Michael Malloy received the report on April 17 that Patrick Hughes inappropriately touched a known juvenile victim, the complaint states.
According to the complaint, on April 22, the juvenile completed a forensic interview where she related she was sitting on a couch watching a movie when Hughes started touching her. She said he was sitting on the other end of the couch and scooted over and put a blanket on her.
The victim stated she kept trying to take the blanket off, but Hughes kept putting it back on. The victim said Hughes then started touching her shorts, down her legs, and she felt scared “did not know what to do,” the complaint notes.
The victim told police Hughes proceeded to touch her under her clothes and sexually assaulted her, according to the complaint.
Hughes reportedly told the victim to not tell anyone, the complaint states.
According to the complaint, on May 17, Hughes was interviewed at PSP Punxsutawney and reportedly admitted to touching the victim, but claimed it did not go as far as she reported. Hughes then said it was an accident.
Hughes was arraigned at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 6, on the following charges in front of District Judge David Inzana:
- Aggravated Indecent Assault of Child, Felony 1
- Unlawful Contact With Minor — Sexual Offenses, Felony 1
- Aggravated Indecent Assault W/O Consent, Felony 2
- Aggravated Indecent Assault — Comp. Less Than 13 Years Old, Felony 2
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- Aggravated Indecent Assault — Comp. Less Than 16, Felony 2
- Indecent Assault Person Less than 13 Years of Age, Misdemeanor 1
- Corruption of Minors, Misdemeanor 1
- Indecent Assault Person Less 16 Yrs Age, Misdemeanor 2
- Indecent Assault-W/O Consent Of Other, Misdemeanor 2
Hughes is currently free on a $100,000.00 surety bond.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 26, at 9:00 a.m., with Magisterial District Judge Jacqueline J. Mizerock presiding.
EDITOR’S NOTE 1: Extreme graphic details were not included due to the sexual nature of the alleged crimes.
EDITOR’S NOTE 2: Several details were removed from this article to help protect the identity of the victim.