A Wattsburg man is facing a new set of felony charges following an investigation by Pennsylvania State Police at Warren.
Richard L. Sweet, 52, was charged Monday with seven additional felonies, including rape of a child, according to a Times-Observer report. The new charges include first-degree felony rape of a child, first-degree felony statutory sexual assault with an age difference of 11 years or more, first-degree felony involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, two counts of first-degree felony unlawful contact with a minor for sexual offenses, third-degree felony indecent assault of a person under 13 years of age, and third-degree felony corruption of minors by a defendant age 18 or older.
Sweet was arraigned Monday before Magisterial District Judge Raymond Zydonik, who set bail at $150,000. A preliminary hearing on the new charges is scheduled for January 21 before the same judge.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, state police began investigating after receiving a CY-104 report in November. The report involved allegations made by a girl who stated she had been sexually assaulted by her mother’s former partner. Troopers interviewed the girl in December at her residence, where she reported that Sweet had lived with her family when she was younger and allegedly engaged in sexual contact with her. One alleged incident is detailed in the affidavit.
The investigating trooper wrote that, based on the information gathered, probable cause existed to file the additional charges and requested that Sweet answer to them while currently incarcerated at the Warren County Jail.
Sweet was already being held at the Warren County Jail on $250,000 bail stemming from a separate case filed earlier this month. In that case, he was charged with multiple counts of rape of a child, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault of a person under 13, and corruption of minors, related to incidents alleged to have begun in December 2015.
Sweet is scheduled to appear in court on January 15 before Judge Gregory Hammond for formal arraignment on the earlier set of charges.
