Irwin man charged with assaulting girl
A 37-year-old Irwin man is accused of sexually assaulting a minor girl in 2019, according to court documents.
Justin M. Hartung of Ninth Street allegedly inappropriately touched the girl, who was younger than age 13 at the time, and exposed himself to her at an Irwin residence during the winter of 2019, according to a criminal complaint Westmoreland County Det. John Mandarino filed against him. The victim told the detective there were “numerous incidents” where Hartung allegedly exposed himself or forced unwanted sexual contact with her, the detective stated in the complaint.
Hartung was charged on Friday with two misdemeanor counts — indecent assault of a person younger than age 13 and indecent exposure.
Hartung was arraigned before North Huntingdon District Judge Wayne Gongaware and released on a $50,000 unsecured bond. Hartung faces a preliminary hearing before Gongaware on Aug. 26.
“Justin denies all the charges,” Greensburg attorney Dick Galloway said Tuesday.
“Our position is that he is totally innocent. He is anxious for the truth to come out in court,” Galloway said.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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