A Schuylkill County man is facing allegations that he sexually assaulted a minor girl on Christmas Eve last year.
Police in West Mahanoy Township say the allegations came to light in early February after the child confided in a teacher at Shenandoah Valley Elementary School. Authorities state that neither Edwin Casiano, 48, nor his wife reported the alleged December incident to police or social services.
The victim reportedly told authorities that the abuse occurred on the evening of Dec. 24 at a residence on Weston Place. According to police, the child said that Casiano had been drinking alcohol with other family members. After the others left the room, the child reported that Casiano approached her from behind in the kitchen, grabbed her waist, and made inappropriate physical contact against her body. The child also told authorities Casiano kissed her on the lips, which he had never done before.
Later that evening, the victim reportedly told police she fell asleep on the living room couch and awoke to Casiano removing her clothing and sexually assaulting her. Police say the child pretended to be asleep before eventually getting up and fleeing to an upstairs bedroom.
The child told authorities she woke up Casiano’s wife and immediately reported the abuse. However, the victim stated the woman did not believe the accusations. Further, the child told police the woman repeatedly instructed her not to tell anyone about the incident, allegedly stating they would lose their house because Casiano pays the bills.
Police say they interviewed Casiano last week at the West Mahanoy Township Police station. During that interview, Casiano admitted to consuming significant amounts of alcohol that evening. According to police, Casiano claimed he was intoxicated and could not remember most of the night, including the alleged assault. He reportedly told police he did not recall the events but denied he would ever do such a thing to the child. Casiano did acknowledge to police that his wife informed him of the child’s accusations the following day.
Casiano was arraigned Thursday morning before Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker in Shenandoah and charged with felony counts of aggravated indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old and corruption of minors. He’s also charged with misdemeanor counts of indecent assault of a person less than 13 and endangering the welfare of children.
Kilker set bail at $150,000 and remanded Casiano to Schuylkill County Prison. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 2.
Schuylkill County Crisis & Support Resources
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse or sexual violence, free, confidential, and inclusive help is available 24/7.
- Schuylkill Hope Center (Domestic Violence): Call the 24/7 hotline at (570) 622-6220, text HOPELINE to 20121, or visit schopecenter.org. Services include emergency shelter, housing assistance, counseling, and legal representation.
- SARCC (Sexual Assault): Call the 24/7 hotline at (570) 628-2965 or visit sarccheals.org for counseling, advocacy, and healing support for survivors of sexual violence.
- Outside Schuylkill County: Residents across Pennsylvania can find their local domestic violence program at pcadv.org. You can also visit domesticshelters.org to find resources near you.
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