Victim Testifies in Child Sex Assault Case; Prosecutors Tack on Felony Charge

A 15-year-old girl delivered emotional testimony Monday afternoon during a preliminary hearing for the man accused of raping her over the course of several years.

John Thomas Riley, 43, of Pottsville, is accused of sexually assaulting a child on several occasions at his home in the city. At the preliminary hearing on Monday, prosecutors told District Magistrate James Reiley they were tacking on a charge of Involuntary Deviate Sexual Assault to the host of other charges Riley is already facing.

Those charges include:

• 2 counts of first-degree felony rape
• 2 counts of first-degree felony rape of a child
• 2 counts of first-degree felony involuntary deviate sexual intercourse
• 2 counts of first-degree felony involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child
• 2 counts of second-degree felony aggravated indecent assault of someone less than 16 years old
• 2 counts of first-degree felony statutory sexual assault
• 1 count of third-degree felony corruption of a minor
• 1 count of misdemeanor indecent assault of a person less than 16 years old

Riley was originally remanded to Schuylkill County Prison on July 25 and he posted bail the next day. He remains free on bail, provided he submits to fingerprinting. His case was moved to County court on Monday.

During the preliminary hearing, Schuylkill County Assistant District Attorney Andrew Bench told Reiley that the Commonwealth would be seeking the mandatory minimum sentence for each charge against Riley in this case, 10-20 years, and for those sentences to be served consecutively.

Meanwhile, defense attorney William Stephens sought to have all charges against his client, Riley, dismissed.

John Riley Preliminary Hearing

During Monday’s preliminary hearing, Riley’s accuser testified at length, detailing how she says the defendant subjected her to years of sexual abuse, off-and-on, at his home.

She said the abuse started when Riley would ask her to rub her legs but that eventually progressed to the point where he had her rubbing him inappropriately, the girl testified.

The alleged sexual abuse reached another level when she started her menstrual cycles, she said on the stand Monday, when she was either 10 or 11 years old.

“He would touch my chest and my lower areas,” she said.

While Riley was allegedly touching her inappropriately, the girl said, “It was confusing. It would hurt. It was uncomfortable. I would freeze up. I didn’t know what to do.

“When I would try to push him off, he would find new ways to touch me,” she said.

The alleged abuse went beyond touching on more than one occasion, based on the girl’s testimony.

During a cross-examination by Stephens, the defense attempted to question the alleged victim’s memory on when these events actually happened.

In asking Reiley to dismiss the charges against his client, Stephens said, “She couldn’t remember when these events happened. We don’t know if she was under 13 years old.”

Stephens also questioned the alleged victim about who she told about the abuse she says she suffered and the order in which she told them.

During testimony given at the preliminary hearing, the girl testified that she told friends of hers first who she said had apparently gone through similar circumstances.

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