A former extracurricular activity volunteer for the Karns City Area School District accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old female student in 2023 was sentenced to serve 4 to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to corruption of minors.

Brayden S. Edwards, 23, of Chicora, was sentenced Thursday, Aug. 21, in Common Pleas Court to serve 4 to 18 months in the county jail followed by 30 months of probation, including six months of house arrest. His sentence included entering the county probation department’s sexual offender treatment program.

State police charged Edwards with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person under 16 years old, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault of a person under 16 and two counts of corruption of minors.

According to police, Edwards sexually assaulted the teen March 3 and 4, 2023, and two ChildLine reports were filed in August before charges were filed in January 2024.

The assaults occurred when Edwards was a volunteer assisting with equipment for after-school activities. He kissed the teen on March 3 and pressured the teen to have sex with him and perform a sexual act on March 4, according to police.

The girl disclosed that on March 3, she and Edwards went to a restaurant in Butler. She added that Edwards drank “a lot” of beers and afterward took her to his vehicle to use a nicotine vape pen.

Edwards allegedly threatened to advise the activity adviser to remove the girl if she “didn't do what he wanted her to do,” police said.

Edwards is then accused of kissing the girl while inside the vehicle in the restaurant parking lot.

The following day, police said Edwards picked the girl up from her residence and then parked at the bottom of her driveway.

Police said the girl disclosed Edwards kissed her, threatened her again and then pressured her to perform various sexual acts on him while in the vehicle, according to police.

Following Edwards’ arrest in January, district superintendent Eric Ritzert said Edwards had been a limited volunteer and underwent child abuse and criminal background checks as required by the state.