A 30-year-old man from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, who has autism, is facing sexual assault charges for an act he allegedly committed when he was 12. The man, whose identity has not been disclosed due to the nature of the case, is accused of sexually assaulting a girl who was about 10 years old at the time. The incident reportedly occurred during a shower after swimming at a pool.
The man was charged with aggravated indecent assault of a child, a first-degree felony, and indecent assault, a misdemeanor. He admitted to the police that he remembered the incident 'a little bit' .
The case was reported to the Pennsylvania child abuse hotline by the accuser's therapist, a mandated reporter under state law. The Lancaster County District Attorney's Office stated that the man will be tried as an adult, as he is now over 21 years old. This decision has sparked controversy, as the man would have been tried as a juvenile and his identity would not have been disclosed if the charges were filed when the incident occurred.
The man's attorney, Michael Vincent Marinaro, described his client as a 'highly functioning autistic individual with depression and anxiety' with no previous criminal history. Marinaro expressed concern over the unusual circumstances of the case, stating that his client is distressed and does not fully understand the charges against him.