PORT CARBON - A Pottsville man was jailed Wednesday on charges that he sexually assaulted a young girl.
Port Carbon police Patrolman Joseph Ferraro arrested Kevin L. Harris, 29, of 810 W. Race St., and charged Ferraro with three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault and one felony count each of indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children and corruption of minors.
Ferraro charged Harris with the assault on a girl who was almost eight years old at the time, July 2010, at an apartment on Coal Street in the borough.
He said the investigation began on Dec. 6 when Schuylkill County Children and Youth Services workers reported a young girl and her mother reported the inappropriate actions of Harris.
The child reported Harris would touch her inappropriately when her mother was at work, Ferraro said.
After an interview, Ferraro said an evaluation for the child was scheduled with the Children's Resource Center in Harrisburg.
During the Dec. 16 session, Ferraro said the child told specialists that Harris sexually assaulted her on three occasions in her mother's bedroom, while the woman was at work. She told the specialist that Harris told her never to say anything about the incidents and that she believed that if she told anybody, the man would hurt her mother.
Ferraro said he was at the resource center and heard the statements made by the girl.
The officer said he made several attempts to call Harris to discuss the allegations but the man never returned any calls.
Harris was committed to Schuylkill County Prison unable to post 10 percent of $100,000 set by Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko, Port Carbon.
Harris will now have to appear for a preliminary hearing before Plachko in his Port Carbon courtroom.