Centre County jury returns verdict for North Carolina man accused of sexual abuse
A jury found a 64-year-old man guilty Friday after he was accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl for about four years.
Seven men and five women deliberated for about 4.5 hours before convicting William Velasquez, of North Carolina, after a two-day trial.
He was found guilty of one felony count of aggravated indecent assault and three misdemeanor counts of indecent assault. He was found not guilty of two felony counts of unlawful contact with a minor.
“The jury’s verdict should be received as a statement of reassurance by all survivors of sexual assault: You will be heard,” Deputy District Attorney Sean McGraw said.
The Centre County Children and Youth office told State College police in December 2017 that it received a report of child abuse from a 14-year-old girl, according to the criminal complaint.
She said Velasquez did “some inappropriate things” to her in both his North Carolina home and a State College residence during a Penn State football game in November 2017, according to the complaint.
Velasquez is scheduled to be sentenced May 14.
This story was originally published March 29, 2019 at 6:19 PM.