Man Acquitted On Mercer Co. Child Rape Charges
PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) - A man who had been accused of raping three young girls in Mercer County before moving to Tennessee has been found not guilty by a jury.
The Sharon Herald reported Saturday that 41-year-old Michael David Lewis is elated with the verdict.
Defense attorney Blair H. Hindman says the alleged victims' testimonies were "blatantly different" from what they had told state police. Lewis took the stand in his own defense, and prosecutors had dropped the more than 100 counts filed in 2012 down to 19.
One more charge was dropped during the trial, and the jury acquitted Lewis on all the remaining counts.
Lewis is a former resident of Mercer County. Hindman said Lewis has returned to Tennessee to resume life there.
Lewis was arrested in 2012 and was initially facing over 600 sex-related charges.
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