By SAXON DAUGHERTY
Staff writer
A Foxburg man accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with a juvenile female family member was held for court Wednesday.
Timothy Pennington, 42, appeared before district judge Patrick Lowrey for the preliminary hearing in Venango County Central Court.
District Attorney Shawn White called on the girl, now 21 years old, to testify about her accusations against Pennington.
The woman said Pennington touched her inappropriately on seven different occasions between the ages of 10 and 15.
She testified the incidents, most recently in 2011, took place at the Florida home of Pennington and his girlfriend while she was visiting Pennington and at a camp owned by a family friend.
For each incident, the woman said Pennington would touch her while she was sleeping, but he would walk away after she woke up.
The woman said she didn’t initially report what was happening because she was afraid of what people would think, but she finally told her boyfriend in November 2016.
Attorney Allison Hartle, Pennington’s defense counsel, questioned the woman during the cross-examination period about the timeline of the alleged incidents.
The woman testified early in Wednesday’s hearing that Pennington did not have a girlfriend when she was younger, but Hartle pressed her on the other part of her testimony that said some of the incidents happened at Pennington’s girlfriend’s house.
Hartle argued that there was not enough evidence presented Wednesday and that all charges should be dismissed.
But Lowrey ruled that all charges will be bound over for further proceedings in the Court of Common Pleas.
Pennington has been charged with seven first-degree felony counts each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault of a child and incest.
Pennington remains free on $50,000 unsecured bail.
