Cheswick Man Pleads Guilty to Statutory Sexual Assault Involving Pine Girl

A Cheswick man pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony counts of statutory sexual assault and indecent contact with a minor in a case involving a Pine Township girl who was 14 at the time.

, 26, originally was charged with four felony counts for incidents stemming from a relationship that started on Facebook and in email in December 2009.

Two felony counts were withdrawn — involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated  indecent assault of a minor less than 16 years old.

Common Pleas Court Judge Jill E. Rangos ordered Mahronich to register for 10 years as a sexual offender under the provisions of Megan’s Law and to undergo an evaluation by the Sexual Offenders Assessment Board.

The judge also ordered him to have no contact with the victim. The girl's name is not reported because she is a minor and Patch does not publish the names of sexual assault victims.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 24 after the judge receives a recommendation from the assessment board.

“No incarceration will be sought in this case,” said Rangos, after noting that attorneys from both sides requested no jail time for Mahronich.

“This would be a dramatic departure from the guidelines [for sentencing],” said Rangos.

The maximum penalty for statutory sexual assault is 20 years imprisonment and a $25,000 fine, said Rangos. For the indecent contact with a minor conviction, the maximum is a 10-year sentence and $25,000 fine, she said.

Pennsylvania State Police said they began investigating the case in February after learning the girl was assaulted on numerous occasions from December 2009 through January 2010. 

"In late November 2009, the victim and the accused developed a relationship via Facebook and Yahoo email," police said in a statement.

The police report said Mahronich visited the girl’s home regularly in December and January, usually entering through her bedroom window at about 1 a.m.

The girl said she told him that she was 14; he was 24 at the time, according to the police report.

 “I can only speak as a parent,” the victim’s mother said as she addressed the judge.

“It’s not fun at home at all,” she said, referring to the pain and stress affecting her household.

She said her daughter, now 16, is undergoing therapy.

“To think of someone crawling through the window while you sleep is very disturbing to a parent,” she said as she wiped away tears. Her 4-year-old child was sleeping in the next room, she added.

“It’s really affected our whole household,” she said.

The same girl testified in August in a similar but unrelated case in Magisterial District Court in Hampton against

His formal arraignment in Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas is set for Sept. 29.

Wagner is charged with four felony counts — statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. He also is charged with unlawful contact with a minor.

In that case, the girl testified that she met Wagner on Facebook through a friend in Fall 2010 when she was 15.

After communicating on Facebook, the girl said she spoke to Wagner on the phone and he told her he was 21.

They met in person at homecoming game in October and then went to her Pine Township home, where she allowed him to sneak in through her first-floor bedroom window, she testified.