Bond reduced in Cherry Township man’s sexual assault case
CHICORA — A Cherry Township man accused of sexually assaulting a runaway teenager waived his preliminary hearing and had his bond reduced by $150,000 Tuesday, Feb. 27.
Joseph A. Betz II, 71, is being held at Butler County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail, a reduction from the $250,000 set when state police filed charges Feb. 14.
Documents showed Betz sexually abused a teenage boy, who is now 24, over the course of several years. The abuse allegedly began in 2011, when Betz was 58.
Betz was charged with felonies statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, corruption of minors, unlawful contact with a minor and photographing a sex act with a minor, and misdemeanors indecent exposure and simple assault.
In addition to the modified bail, conditions of Betz’s bond are his placement on house arrest with electronic monitoring should he be released and adherence to a no-contact order with the alleged victim.
Betz has been charged in relation to the alleged victim in the past. He was charged with felony interference with the custody of a child after an incident between June 10 and Dec. 3, 2016. The boy ran away from his home in Washington County and then from a Mercer County school and was found on both occasions.
On the first occasion, police found the missing boy in a closet in Betz’s home. The boy was then placed in Keystone Charter School, but ran away again and was found to have traveled with Betz to Florida with two other men.
While there, Betz got into an argument with one of the other men and returned home without the boy, according to a witness.
Betz pleaded guilty to that charge in November 2018.
According to new charging documents, state police said the 24-year-old man spoke with them about the assaults in August 2023.
The man disclosed that beginning when he was 11 years old, Betz would perform various sexual acts on him at a home in Cherry Township, police said.
The assaults would occur on a weekly basis in several locations throughout the residence, and the man recalled feeling he had “no choice” but to participate, police said.
