DAUPHIN COUNTY — A Dauphin County jury convicted a 24-year-old Lebanon man of the 2015 assault of a 15-year-old girl on Wednesday, according to the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office.
Brandon Warrington was accused of assaulting the girl on a nature trail near Living Waters Church in Swatara Township on August 7, 2015. The girl said she had known Warrington for a few days through a mutual friend. She testified that she and Warrington went for a walk on the secluded trail when he attacked her and forced her to have sex without her consent.
The jury found Warrington not guilty of rape and sexual assault, but convicted him of aggravated indecent assault (without consent), indecent assault (without consent), statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault (victim under 16), indecent assault (victim under 16), unlawful contact with a minor, and corruption of minors.
“The verdict reflected that the jury believed that the victim did not consent to all of the contact with the defendant,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Gettle, who prosecuted the case, in a press release.
Warrington argued that the contact was consensual, and presented text messages between the parties after the assault that suggested the contact was not unwanted.
“This case demonstrated the mixed emotions that victims can experience after being subjected to sexual violence,” Gettle said. “Victims often blame themselves for being assaulted and second-guess the violence they endured. We encourage all victims to report their abuse to the police so that the cycle of violence can be broken.”
Warrington will be sentenced in August. Prior to sentencing, he will undergo a Megan’s Law evaluation to determine if he should be classified as a sexually violent predator.
Warrington is currently serving a 9- to 25-year prison term for rape of a child and related charges stemming from an incident in Lebanon County in 2016. Warrington was free on bail and awaiting trial on the Dauphin County charges when he committed the offenses in Lebanon County, the Dauphin County DA’s Office said.
