South Greensburg man charged with luring will be released from prison under speedy trial rule

A South Greensburg man awaiting trial on police accusations that he lured an 11-year-old girl into a vehicle and sexually assaulted her was set to be released on $5,000 unsecured bail.

Attorneys said in court Tuesday that Keith E. Lilliock, 43, has been held at the Westmoreland County Prison for 184 days without being brought to trial, a violation of his speedy trial rights. Lilliock will be under house arrest once released from jail, Judge Timothy Krieger ordered.

“My intent is to let him out,” Krieger said.

Lilliock has been jailed since March 27 on $200,000 bail after his arrest on charges of luring, indecent assault and interference with the custody of children. State police were notified the night before that an 11-year-old girl was missing from Youngwood.

Her bicycle was found near a gas station, and troopers pinged her iPad to a location in Latrobe around 3 a.m. March 27, according to court papers. When they interviewed her, the girl told troopers she intended to ride her bicycle to Pittsburgh to visit a relative. She told police she stopped at the gas station to take a break and ran into a man later identified as Lilliock, according to court papers.

He offered her a ride, and the girl accepted. After they were in the vehicle together, Lilliock groped her, then drove her to her friend’s house in Latrobe, troopers said.

Video surveillance from the gas station and nearby businesses showed interactions between the two.

Lilliock told police he gave the girl a ride but denied touching her, according to court papers.

Defense attorney Ken Noga argued in court Tuesday that Lilliock, who has no criminal history, addiction or mental health issues, is a low risk to reoffend. He sought Lilliock’s release under what is known as Rule 600, a state law that requires prosecutors to bring a case to trial within six months for suspects who are in jail and in a year for those who are not in custody.

Time limits typically are adjusted throughout the course of a prosecution to account for attorney delays and administrative issues that result in postponements of trials. Attorneys said there have been no continuances from either side in the case so far. The 180-day time limit was reached Saturday.

District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said in a statement that her office was not responsible for any delays in bringing the case to trial and prosecutors make every effort to have cases heard in a timely manner.

“Any questions in regard to delays should be asked of the court administrator and judge who determine and schedule what cases be brought into court for trial,” she said. “Our prosecutors were not able to get into a courtroom within the 180-day time period due to the extensive backlog within court that is outside of the district attorney’s control.”

Since being incarcerated, Lilliock has been suffering from serious health issues and hasn’t been able to get proper nutrition at the Hempfield lockup, Noga said.

“He’s no risk to anyone and, on top of that, he’s going to appear for any court proceeding,” Noga said.

Prosecutors are investigating allegations that he was assaulted by a guard, said Assistant District Attorney Theresa Miller-Sporrer, who opposed his release.

She argued that Lilliock could pose a danger to other minors.

“The commonwealth is gravely concerned,” she said.