Local Man Accused of Inappropriately Touching Young Girl Waiting for School Bus


SIGEL, Pa. (EYT) – A local man is accused of inappropriately touching a young girl waiting for the school bus. 

According to court documents, Marienville-based State Police filed criminal charges against 74-year-old Dale Richard Neill, of Sigel, in Magisterial District Judge Gregory M. Bazylak’s office on Monday, July 25.

The charges stem from an investigation into an indecent assault involving Neill and a known juvenile victim that occurred sometime between September 2021 and February 2022 at a residence in Sigel, in Eldred Township, Jefferson County.

According to a criminal complaint, police spoke with a known juvenile victim’s mother who related that on February 8, 2022, her daughter told her that Dale Neill had touched her butt and made her feel uncomfortable.

Police then interviewed the juvenile victim who reported that she was at Neill’s house on February 8 waiting for the school bus, and he put his arm around her, and his hand was resting on her butt. Neill then made a comment about her “getting chunky” and asked her to weigh herself, the complaint indicates.

The victim explained she felt very uncomfortable with his actions.

On February 22, an interview was conducted with the victim by the Child Advocacy Center where she reiterated the details of the incident.

Police then interviewed the victim’s mother again. She stated her daughter had informed her that she had been at Neill’s residence approximately 12 times while waiting for the school bus, and he had given her a hug every time she had been at his residence. She stated that his hands only strayed to her butt approximately three to five times during the time frame, according to the complaint.

The victim’s mother told police that Neill had never given the victim a hug while she was present, the complaint states.

Neill was arraigned at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 3, in front of Judge Bazylak on the following charges:

– Indecent Assault Person Less Than 13 Years of Age, Felony 3 (four counts)
– Indecent Assault without Consent of Other, Misdemeanor 2 (four counts)
– Indecent Assault Person Less Than 16 Years of Age, Misdemeanor 2 (four counts)

He is currently free on $100,000.00 unsecured bail.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday, September 15, at 2:00 p.m. with Judge Bazylak presiding. 

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

EDITOR’S NOTE 2: Several details were removed from this article to help protect the identity of the victims.


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