(Editor’s note: some details from this investigation are being withheld in order to protect the identity of the victim.)
A Red Hill man is headed to the Bucks County Correctional Facility after a judge sentenced him to jail time and probation for sexually assaulting a runaway teen in 2020.
Justin O’Neill, 22, was sentenced by Bucks County Common Pleas Judge Theodore Fritsch on Wednesday to five-to-23-months in county jail along with five years’ probation. O’Neill pleaded guilty in March to statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and indecent assault of a person less than 16 years old.
O’Neill, who was 20 years old at the time of the assault, was facing up to 10 years in prison and $25,000 fine on the statutory sexual assault charge, according to sentencing guidelines.
As part of the sentence, Judge Fritsch ordered O’Neill to have no further contact with the victim and required he obtain his GED. Court records show that O’Neill did not meet the criteria of a sexually violent predator following an assessment, however he is required to continue to undergo mental health treatment and take medication as instructed.
The family of the victim — along with the victim herself — contacted police in late 2020 to report something that had happened while the victim was away from home. The victim stated that she had been sleeping in the back of O’Neill’s vehicle for several days while she was reported missing, and during that time, he had tried to kiss her and touch her inappropriately, police said.
The victim also stated that she had left her laptop in O’Neill’s vehicle, according to the criminal complaint.
Police and the victim’s father made contact with O’Neill to retrieve the laptop and asked if O’Neill knew that the victim had run away from home. O’Neill reportedly confirmed that the victim had been sleeping in his vehicle for several days prior to her returning home, the complaint states.
Several days later, the mother of the victim again contacted police, stating that she had found messages that indicated something more had happened. At that time, the victim told police that she had sex with O’Neill during one of the evenings that she slept in his vehicle, police said.
The victim was then taken to a local hospital for a SANE exam, and she gave investigators the clothing that she was wearing on the night of the incident, the complaint states.
Several months later, O’Neill met with investigators and denied any contact had occurred, police said. O’Neill then provided a DNA swab for comparison, which was later found to match the DNA that was found on the inside of the victim’s clothing, according to the complaint.
Charges were filed against O’Neill on Aug. 5, 2021.
See also:
Telford Man Sentenced to Prison for Fondling Young Girls, Child Porn Possession
Former Local Soccer Instructor Gets Probation for Sexting 14-Year-Old Girl from Upper Gwynedd
Chalfont ‘Cheer Mom’ Sentenced to Probation for Harassing Members of Daughter’s Cheerleading Team
Montco Mom Pleads Guilty to Child Endangerment in Shooting Death of 12-Year-Old Daughter
Local Contractor Gets Probation for Scamming Hatfield Residents Out of More Than $500,000
