FRACKVILLE - A 47-year-old Ashland man charged with a series of sexual assaults on a girl who was 12 when the incidents began in March 2011 had charges against him held to court during a preliminary hearing Wednesday.
John J. Micklesavage, 420 Oakland Ave., was arrested by Ashland police Patrolman Theodore Buriak Jr. and charged with three felony counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse; one felony count each of corruption of minors and unlawful contact with a minor; three misdemeanor counts of indecent assault; and one misdemeanor count each of endangering the welfare of children.
After hearing about 30 minutes of testimony from the victim, Magisterial District Judge Christina E. Hale ordered all charges against Micklesavage be held for Schuylkill County Court. She also agreed to allow the man free on the $25,000 straight cash bail he posted since his arrest in October.
Buriak, in his criminal complaint filed with Hale, said the incidents occurred at Micklesavage's home between March 2011 and July 2013.
The victim told the court she lived at the home with her mother and Micklesavage and when her mother would leave for work or shopping, Micklesavage would make her perform a sex act on him.
The girl said the incidents happened two or three times a month and recalled one time she was in the bathroom with Micklesavage when her brother knocked at the door.
In that incident, the girl said Micklesavage put her out of the bathroom window in order to try and hide what he was making her do.
After almost every time she performed the sex act, the girl said Micklesvage would give her $20 and tell her to go and do something and leave him alone.
The girl, now 14, said that Micklesavage would refer to her performing the sex act saying "do me a favor."
If she refused, the teen said there were consequences.
"He'd start screaming, throw me around and threaten to throw me and my mother out," she said.
Under questioning by assistant district attorney Debra Smith, the girl said she told her mother at one point but the assaults continued until she told her older brother who, in turn, reported it to their grandfather who lives in Mahanoy City.
The girl said in June 2012 she moved in with her grandfather but in October of that year was asked by Micklesavage to move back to Ashland, saying it would make her mother happy and that the abuse would not happen anymore.
After thinking about it, the girl said she moved back to Ashland in June of this year but the sexual assaults resumed about two weeks later, forcing her to move back in with her grandfather a short time later.
Micklesavage was represented by attorney Andrew Zelonis, who, at the conclusion of the hearing, asked all charges be dismissed saying there was no evidence against his client except the accusations of the teenage victim.
Hale disagreed and found a prima facie case ordering all charges held for court.