A Darby man was sentenced to 5-10 years in a state prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to aggravated indecent assault of a child, a first-degree felony.
Charles M. Taylor, 34, of the 100 block of North 10th Street, will also serve three years of consecutive probation and register for life as a sexual offender as part of the negotiated guilty plea worked out by Assistant District Attorney Danielle Gallaher and defense counsel Ben McCready.
Taylor was charged earlier this year with indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children. Gallaher added two counts of aggravated indecent assault of a child and aggravated indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old at a preliminary hearing in May.
Taylor waived that hearing and Gallaher said at the time that if the case resolved in a nontrial disposition, the commonwealth would not invoke a mandatory minimum sentence.
The remaining charges were dismissed under the plea accepted by Common Pleas Court Judge Dominic Pileggi. Gallaher and McCready stipulated to a police incident report and affidavit of probable cause written by Upper Darby Detective Kevin Knapp as the basis for the plea.
According to the affidavit:
Upper Darby police responded to an address on the 100 block of East Baltimore Avenue in Lansdowne at about 2:20 a.m. on March 3 for a report of a man crying and yelling into a phone.
Officer Ibrahim Katouni made contact with Taylor, who told him that he had inappropriately touched the victim at an Upper Darby address and provided her name.
Officer Anthony Manero went to that address and spoke to the victim’s relative, who identified her as an 11-year-old girl.
Taylor was transported to Upper Darby police headquarters for public drunkenness.
Knapp later advised the defendant of his Miranda rights, which he waived and agreed to provide a voluntary statement.
Taylor said he inappropriately touched the girl “in a sexual nature which sexually aroused him,” according to the affidavit.
The girl also provided a statement that Taylor had touched her buttocks and vagina with his hands over her clothes on two separate occasions.
Taylor declined to say anything to the judge. Gallaher noted the victim’s parents were present but did not want to give a statement.
Taylor is not eligible for early release, but was given credit for time served since March 3. He was also ordered to have no contact with the victim or unsupervised contact with minors and to provide a DNA sample to state police.
Taylor will additionally undergo an evaluation by the state Sexual Offenders Assessment Board to determine whether he meets the criteria for a sexually violent predator, which may require another hearing.