No contest plea ends child case
A Butler man pleaded no contest to corruption of minors in Butler County Court on Wednesday, after being accused of molesting three young girls at a day care center his wife operated at their Oakland Township home in 2010 and 2011.
Roger L. Young, 68, entered the no contest plea to the misdemeanor charge before county Judge William Shaffer, acknowledging that if taken to trial, the prosecution could potentially prove him guilty, but not acknowledging guilt.
Young was initially charged with three felony counts of corruption of minors and three counts of misdemeanor indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old by the Pennsylvania State Police after allegations that he fondled three young children, ages 9, 4 and 3, at the Patti Cake Child Care Center on Route 68.
The charges were amended and the remaining charges dropped as part of the plea.
The plea agreement calls for a sentence of 12 months probation, with the first 60 days spent on house arrest with electronic monitoring, and a fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 2.
The investigation began after the 9-year-old girl told a relative in 2011 that Young had fondled her while she was seated on his lap in a rocking chair at the business, police said.
The county Children and Youth Services agency was notified of the allegations and interviewed the children.
A search warrant was then executed at the home and video surveillance was obtained from the center, which police said showed Young molesting at least two girls around November 2010.
Police said the video shows Young touching the girls' private parts through their clothing and having them touch his genitals. The clips also show Young lifting up the shirt of one of the children to expose her chest and kissing at least one of the girls on the face, police said.
Young remains free on $50,000 unsecured bail, pending sentencing.
Following the filing of charges, Young was banned from the facility, and according to the state Department of Human Services, which regulates child care centers, the facility has since closed. The facility had been licensed since 2009, according to previous reports.
