A second person has been charged related to the alleged assault of a man from a New Year's Eve party earlier this year.

Blake M. Branchen, 19, of Butler, has been charged with one misdemeanor count of indecent assault on an unconscious person.

Branchen is the second person to be charged from the party in which the accuser claims he was sexually assaulted at a party Dec. 31 in Jefferson Township.

Mathew Lehnerd, 20, whose home the alleged assault occurred in, was charged Sept. 7 with felony counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault. According to charging documents, police said Lehnerd admitted to performing sexual acts on his sleeping friend.

According to documents in Branchen's case, the accuser told police he believed two people may have sexually assaulted him.

Police said during their investigation with Lehnerd, he mentioned Branchen.

“The individual advised (Branchen) may have also done unknown acts to the victim after he was done,” said the investigating officer in the affidavit. “Lehnerd advised the victim's clothing was described differently than how he left him.”

Police said on Jan. 2, they spoke with Branchen, who gave them multiple versions of what happened. Police said Branchen told officers he had seen the accuser asleep with his pants down, and attempted to pull them up.

“(Branchen) related he was just trying to help the victim out, although agreed that the touch was inappropriate,” police said.

Police said on June 9 Branchen submitted DNA for comparison, and a lab report concluded a partial DNA profile was obtained from a sexual assault kit.

“(Branchen) could not be excluded as a potential contributor,” police said.

A preliminary hearing for Branchen is scheduled Oct. 19 before District Judge Lewis Stoughton.