Armstrong County Man Accused of Molesting Young Girl Waives Preliminary Hearing

FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) – A 36-year-old Armstrong County man accused of inappropriately touching a young girl at a Franklin residence waived his preliminary hearing on Wednesday.

Court documents indicate the following charges against 36-year-old Russell Charles Scheffer, of Adrian, Pa., were waived for court on Wednesday, October 10:

  • Aggravated Indecent Assault of Child, Felony 1
  • Corruption Of Minors – Defendant Age 18 or Above, Felony 3
  • Indecent Assault Person Less than 13 Years of Age, Misdemeanor 1

The charges have been transferred to the Venango County Court of Common Pleas.

Scheffer remains free on $10,000.00 unsecured bail.

Details of the case:

According to a criminal complaint, around 12:43 p.m. on March 19, the City of Franklin Police Department received a report of suspected child abuse from Venango County Children and Youth Services. The allegations indicated that on March 11, a six-year-old girl reported being touched on the groin and genital area by Russell Scheffer. The victim reported soreness from the contact.

The victim’s current legal guardian stated that the victim did have contact with Scheffer at a relative’s home during the time in question. The victim’s guardian also noted that after the time in question, the victim was behaving in a “weird” way after returning home, before disclosing that Scheffer had touched her, the complaint states.

Around 9:30 a.m. on March 29, a certified forensic interviewer conducted an interview with the victim at the Venango County Human Services building.

According to the complaint, the victim stated that Scheffer touched her stomach and then her genitals, under her underwear, and said that it hurt.

Around 9:35 a.m. on April 10, Detective Saragian, of the City of Franklin Police Department, interviewed Scheffer at the Franklin Police Department.

According to the complaint, Scheffer stated that he did have physical contact with the victim. He reported that he had been tickling the victim, and tickled her so much that the girl had urinated, so he had stopped. He said it might be possible he had accidentally touched her in the genital area during the tickling, but it would have been over clothing, not underneath. Scheffer also stated the only time he touched skin was when he was tickling her and her shirt pulled up over her stomach a bit.

Based on the investigation, Scheffer was arraigned on Friday, September 28, in Magisterial District Judge Matthew T. Kirtland’s office.

EDITOR’S NOTE #1: Extreme graphic details were not included due to the sexual nature of the alleged crime.

EDITOR’S NOTE #2: Additional details were omitted to help protect the identity of the victim.


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