A Dauphin County jury returns a guilty verdict in the trial of a Harrisburg man accused of sexual assault of a child. It took the jury about 90 minutes before finding Nathaniel Garfield, guilty of Statutory Sexual Assault, Involuntary Deviate Sexual Assault, Aggravated Indecent Assault, Indecent Assault, Unlawful Contact with a Minor and Corruption of Minors.
Garfield had molested the child between 2008 and 2011 when she was 13-15 years of age. During her testimony the victim was asked to read portions of a journal she kept during that time period documenting some of the abuse. She became emotional when she came to the part where she had written about her fear that Garfield might abuse her younger sister.
Garfield’s defense attorney argued to the jury that the child had made the abuse up because she was a troubled child. The prosecution countered that the child had no motive to fabricate the molestation charges against Garfield and that the child’s troubles in school were directly related to the abuse she sustained.
Garfield will now be evaluated to determine if he should be classified a sexually violent predator under Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law. He remains at Dauphin County Prison. Formal sentencing is set for April 18.