Local Man Accused of Indecent Assault of Young Girl While Babysitting Sentenced to Probation
An Upper Gwynedd Township man accused of the indecent
assault of a 6-year-old girl while serving as her babysitter has been sentenced
to probation as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Hayden Rhodes, 23, was sentenced to two years’ probation on
Feb. 27 after pleading guilty to a pair of reduced charges of misdemeanor
harassment, court records show. Rhodes was sentenced to one year of probation
on each count, which will be served consecutively, according to court
documents.
Sentencing notes show Rhodes is prohibited from having any
further contact with the victim and must undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation and
comply with any recommendations.
Rhodes was previously arraigned on a felony charge of
unlawful contact with a minor, along with misdemeanor counts of indecent
exposure, endangering the welfare of children, and indecent assault of a person
less than 13 years of age, in connection with the case. However, the felony charge
and the indecent exposure charge were replaced by misdemeanor counts of
harassment as part of the plea agreement and the remaining charges were
dropped.
If convicted of the unlawful contact with a minor charge,
Rhodes would have faced up to seven years in prison and a mandatory 10-year registration
period as a sex offender.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Montgomery
County District Attorney’s Office said the plea agreement was negotiated after
the victim’s family stated they did not want to go through a trial.
In June 2021, detectives with the Upper Gwynedd Township
Police Department received a Childline referral regarding the alleged sexual
abuse of a child. The referral stated that a juvenile female had disclosed that
when she was approximately 6 years old, her babysitter got on top of her on her
bed and “humped her.”
According to the criminal complaint, the victim was
forensically interviewed at Mission Kids a few weeks later, at which time she
stated that her normal babysitter was unavailable to babysit her on that night,
and the babysitter’s brother — identified as Rhodes — had filled in for his
sister. The victim said that while babysitting, Rhodes got on top of her while
she was laying on her mattress and made sexual motions, the report states.
Rhodes also had the victim get on top of him to make similar motions, and later
had the victim place her hand on Rhodes’ erect penis, police said.
Approximately one year later, Rhodes again filled in for his
sister and attempted to engage in indecent contact with the victim, however the
victim said no, pushed him away and walked away from him, according to the
complaint.
Investigators said the abuse occurred between June 2016 and
December 2017.
Charges were officially filed against Rhodes on Oct. 22, 2021,
including felony counts of unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of
minors, along with misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure, endangering the
welfare of a child, and indecent assault of a person less than 13 years of age.
The felony corruption of minors charge was dismissed at
Rhodes’ preliminary hearing.
Rhodes was represented by Martin Mullany Esq., of the Skippack-based Mullaney and Mullaney
law firm, throughout the duration of his court proceedings. This news
organization has reached out to secure comment from Martin Mullany and will add
it to this article once received.
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