CLEARFIELD – An Amish man now classified as a sexually violent predator, was given a lengthy state prison sentence Friday for sexually assaulting four young girls in Clearfield County.
Simon M. Lee, 35, Westover, was originally charged by state police last year with multiple counts of rape, rape of child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, and aggravated indecent assault.
During a special hearing Friday, testimony was heard from William Allenbaugh II, of the sexual offender assessment board, regarding Lee’s status as a possible sexually violent predator.
Allenbaugh said the multiple victims who were assaulted over two years, June 2022 to Aug. 1, 2024; indicate that Lee suffers from pedophilia which is a lifetime disorder that has no cure.
Lee was only stopped because his actions were reported to adults, “or he could have continued,” Allenbaugh said.
The children raged in age from six to two-years-old when the assaults began.
In his expert opinion, Allenbaugh stated that Lee meets the criteria of being a sexually violent predator.
Judge Paul E. Cherry ruled there was sufficient evidence and classified Lee as a SVP.
Lee who sat with his head down during most of the hearing, was also in court to be sentenced on an open plea agreement for three counts of rape of a child.
Cherry sentenced him to serve a total of 30 to 90 years in state prison with nine years consecutive re-entry probation.
Lee must complete sex offender counseling and comply with all the conditions of Megan’s Law.
He was ordered not to have any unsupervised contact with any female under the age of 18 or the victims.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, the first victim was between six and eight years old, victim two was five to seven years old, victim three was three through five years old and victim four was two to four years old during the times they were assaulted.
The investigation began after one of the victims’ fathers reported to police that the four girls had been assaulted by Lee at two locations in Burnside Township.
All of the victims were interviewed at the Clearfield County Child Advocacy Center with a special translator who speaks Pennsylvania Dutch.
The first victim explained that they were playing hide and seek with Lee when it first happened to her. She said he touched her under her clothes and also raped her.
This victim said it happened “a lot of times”. During some of the abuse, she stated she tried to leave but “he would not let us go.” She confirmed that the others had also suffered assaults from Lee.
In her interview the second victim also stated that Lee would not let her leave when they were playing hide and seek.
“He just held me there and I couldn’t get free,” she reportedly said.
When asked how many times this happened, she allegedly said “He did it so many times that I can’t remember” and that he touched her every time she saw him.
Victim three reported that she was also sexually assaulted more than once, according to the report.
The fourth victim refused to speak.
When the parents of two of the victims were interviewed by investigators, they stated that one of the girls told them about the abuse not just of her, but the other girls. They then spoke to the other girls, who they told them this was true.
The father confronted Lee who reportedly “broke down and cried”, begging for forgiveness. Later he confessed to a bishop of the church and was shunned in the community for four weeks, according to the criminal complaint.
