CRANBERRY TWP — A mother sat comforting her 10- and 12-year-old daughters as they testified against an Ambridge man, who is accused of raping them in a Cranberry Township home, during a preliminary hearing Friday, Aug. 29.

The girls, who were 8 and 10 at the time of the incident, previously accused Francisco Javier Rosalez Melendez, 34, of coming into their room and touching them sexually. They said the sexual assaults occurred both in their shared room and in their mother’s bedroom while she was away.

Assistant district attorney David Beichner added two felony counts of indecent assault to the charges against Rosalez Melendez, who was charged Aug. 8 with four felony charges each of rape of a child and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, two felony counts of corruption of minors; and two misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure following incidents from September 2023 to July 2024.

Police said Rosalez Melendez stayed with the girls periodically and with their two sisters and mother. The four sisters shared a room with three beds.

Prosecutors brought the girls in one at a time to testify and removed Rosalez Melendez from the room when they entered and exited so the girls would not have to walk by him.

The 10-year-old girl testified the first incident occurred while she was sleeping in her mother’s room while she was at the store. She said Rosalez Melendez entered the room and was in the bed with her when he moved her pajama pants to the side and touched her sexually.

The girl said Rosalez Melendez also touched her buttocks under her pants multiple times during the incident.

In the second incident, the 10-year-old girl testified she was in her own room in her bed when Rosalez Melendez entered the room. She said he at first went to a sister’s bed then came over to her bed and touched her under her shorts with his hands.

The 12-year-old girl testified her first incident with Rosalez Melendez also occurred in her mother’s room. The girl was asleep and awoke when he came in the room and sat on the bed.

She testified Rosalez Melendez then exposed himself to her. She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t see, but then an older sister opened the door and entered the room which caused Rosalez Melendez to stop.

In the second incident, the 12-year-old girl was sleeping in her room with her sisters when Rosalez Melendez entered. She said he came to lay with her in her bed and touched her under her pajama shorts with his hands and genitalia more than once.

District Judge Kevin Flaherty held all charges for court against Rosalez Melendez. His formal arraignment is scheduled at 1 p.m. Oct. 14 in Butler County Common Pleas Court.