Man charged by Vandergrift police with child sex assault faces 24 felony charges
Vandergrift police charged a man with two dozen felony counts after, they say, he admitted to repeatedly molesting a 6-year- old over a three-month period.
Joshua Michael Irvine, 23, of Horton Way in Brookville, Jefferson County, faces the following felony charges:
• 10 counts of indecent assault of a person younger than 13.
• Four counts of statutory sexual assault of a child under 11.
• Four counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child.
• Two counts of aggravated indecent assault of a child.
Irvine also faces one felony count each of aggravated assault of a child younger than 6 by a person over 18, corruption of a minor, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal attempt deviate sexual intercourse with a child.
He also was charged with misdemeanor counts of simple assault and making terroristic threats.
Irvine is in the Westmoreland County jail in lieu of $100,000 cash bond, according to court records. He faces a preliminary hearing before District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec on Oct. 11.
Investigators said they received a ChildLine report Sept. 21 and interviewed the child’s mother, who told them Irvine was an acquaintance of the family who was invited to move into the home in July because he “had fallen on hard times and needed a place to stay,” according to a criminal complaint.
The woman contacted authorities after the child told her about being molested by Irvine, police said.
Irvine was questioned at the police station but denied having any inappropriate contact with the child, police said. He was released on the condition he not return to the house while the investigation was ongoing, according to the complaint.
The officer also informed Irvine that the child who made the accusations would be interviewed by authorities, the complaint said.
Later that day, Irvine returned to the police station and told an officer he sexually abused the child and that he has “a problem, I need help,” the complaint said.
Irvine told police that, during the months he was living at the house, the sexual abuse occurred multiple times, the complaint said.
During a Sept. 28 forensic interview, the child told investigators that, during the incidents, Irvine was asked to stop but wouldn’t listen, police said. Irvine told the child that if they told anybody about what was going on “I can get in trouble,” the complaint said.
The child told investigators the abuse happened “every day,” according to Irvine’s arrest papers.
Tony LaRussa is a TribLive reporter. A Pittsburgh native, he covers crime and courts in the Alle-Kiski Valley. He can be reached at tlarussa@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.