Beaver Co. Man Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Child While Babysitting
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FREEDOM, Pa. (KDKA) -- A Beaver County man has been arrested after he was accused of sexually assaulting a child he was babysitting.
Sixty-seven-year-old Amos Colbert was arrested Friday.
According to a criminal complaint, authorities received a report in April that an 11-year-old girl told a Children and Youth caseworker that Colbert had touched her inappropriately and made her touch him inappropriately about six years ago, when she was around 5 years old.
When police talked to the victim's parents, they said Colbert and his wife at their home in Freedom, Pa., in 2012.
Officials conducted a forensic interview with the victim, who police say was able to give specific details about three separate incidents where Colbert allegedly assaulted her. The victim told police that after each incident, she would run out of the residence and hide in a nearby wooded area.
In May, a detective conducted a recorded phone call between the victim's father and Colbert.
The criminal complaint says Colbert denied the victim's allegations during the phone call and repeatedly said "sorry" and "I didn't want any bad stuff to come back at me." Colbert also allegedly said, "That was what I was afraid of coming back at me years later and I didn't want that."
Police later conducted an interview with Colbert and his wife at the New Sewickley Township Police Department.
Colbert allegedly confirmed the victim stayed at his home between May and August in 2012, but he denied the victim's accusations and said he may have unintentionally touched the child inappropriately.
According to the criminal complaint, Colbert said during the interview that he didn't want to watch the child at the time because he was afraid that "what is happening now would happen." He also allegedly said he didn't want to be around small children and didn't want things like this to come back and "haunt him."
Colbert also allegedly said, "If I was going to do anything with her, I would have taken her to the camper."
Colbert's wife confirmed the victim would leave the home and hide in the woods while she was staying with them.
According to New Sewickley Township Detective Greg Carney, this isn't the first time Colbert has been accused of molesting children.
"We do have a history with Mr. Colbert. We are aware of him and familiar with him," he said. "Our concern is that there are other children out there that are victims."
Colbert is facing multiple charges, including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, sexual assault and indecent assault.
