Topline: An Oakdale man is facing charges of indecent assault after being accused of sexually abusing a five-year-old child under his care.
Published: May 16, 2023 8:00 am ET
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Bruce Hawkingberry. Mugshot provided by the Allegheny County Jail. Background photo credit: OlinEJ / Pixabay.
FINDLAY TOWNSHIP, PA (PPP)— An Oakdale man has been arrested and charged with indecent assault after his 5-year-old victim reported that he touched her inappropriately.
According to the affidavit of probable cause filed in a criminal complaint against 36-year-old Bruce Hawkingberry, the victim’s parents called the police after the child told them what had happened.
Police officers told the parents that a forensic interview needed to be conducted, according to the complaint.
The juvenile was subsequently interviewed by an employee of the Allegheny County Child Advocacy Center, according to the complaint.
Following the interview, police interviewed Hawkingberry, who admitted to them that he had touched the child inappropriately, says the complaint.
Hawkingberry was arrested and booked into the Allegheny County Jail with bail denied.
Name: Bruce Hawkingberry
Gender: Male
Age: 36
Agency: Findlay Township Police Department
Court: Magisterial District Court 05-3-17
Docket Number: MJ-05317-CR-0000129-2023
Date Filed: April 6, 2023
Bail: N/A
Confinement: Allegheny County Jail
Confinement Reason: Bail denied.
Criminal Charges
- Indecent assault (Felony 3)
- Endangering the welfare of children (Felony 3)
- Corruption of minors (Felony 3)
- Unlawful contact with a minor (Felony 3)
Affidavit of Probable Cause
On 03/08/23 at approximately 2345 hours, your Affiant, Anthony Tarantino, while functioning as a Findlay Township Police Officer, was dispatched to ████████████ for the report of a 5 year old child being sexually abused by an upstairs neighbor. Your Affiant has been employed as a patrolman with the Findlay Township Police Department since February of 2018 and is currently assigned to the investigations function within the department. The victim in this investigation is a five year old female, whose information is known to your Affiant, and who shall be referred to as Jane Doe for confidentiality purposes.
Your Affiant arrived on scene at approximately 2351 hours, and met with Doe’s parents, ███████ and ███████. ███████ advised that on this date Doe disclosed to him that Bruce Hawkingberry had “touched her chicken”. ███████ asked Doe to clarify what she meant by “chicken”, to which Doe replied that her “chicken” is the place that she pees from.
Due to Doe’s disclosures to ███████, your Affiant advised ███████ and ███████ that a forensic interview would need to be arranged for Doe in order to obtain further information. A child forensic interview was subsequently scheduled for 03/17/23 at 1300 hours at the Allegheny County Child Advocacy Center at A Child’s Place.
On 03/17/23 at approximately 1300 hours, I remotely observed Doe’s child forensic interview via Zoom. The interviewer, ███████ of the Allegheny County Child Advocacy Center, asked Doe if she (Doe) had any secrets, to which Doe replied that Mr. Hawkingberry touches her “chicken” and that Mr. Hawkingberry told her not to tell her parents or her doctor, otherwise he would “kick her out of the house”. ███████ asked Doe to clarify what she meant by “chicken”, to which Doe replied that her “chicken” is “where she pees from”. Doe further advised that her clothes were on at the time of the incident.
On 4/6/23, at 14:45 hours, Allegheny County Police Detective Orchowski and I interviewed Hawkingberry at Allegheny County Police Headquarters. I read Hawkingberry his Miranda Rights, to which he acknowledged and he signed a rights waiver form. Hawkingberry stated that on an unknown date in November of 2022, he was the only adult caretaker watching Doe at her residence in Findlay Twp. Hawkingberry reported that he was laying on the living room couch with Doe watching television. Hawkingberry stated that he was having thoughts about how Doe would look when she turned eighteen. At this point, he admitted that he rubbed her inner thigh with his hands and touched her vagina over top of her underwear with his fingers. Hawkingberry also described another incident that occurred on an unknown date in December of 2022. He said that he was the only adult caretaker watching Doe at her residence in Findlay. He stated that while he was watching Doe, she urinated on the living room couch. He admitted that while he was wiping her vaginal area with a wet wipe, he used his finger to touch her vagina for sexual purposes.
In the computerized construction of the criminal complaint and affidavit utilizing the Allegheny County ASAP system, certain fields require specific dates and times in order for the document to be generated. In this criminal complaint, certain dates and times have been estimated to satisfy this requirement. Furthermore, your affiants know through our training and experience that adolescent victims have difficulty in articulating exact times and dates of criminal incidents.
Based upon the aforementioned victim’s disclosure during a forensic interview, along with the defendant’s incriminating statements, your affiant believes that probable cause exists to obtain a warrant of arrest for the defendant for the crimes enumerated in this complaint.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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By Silvia Torres
Published: May 16, 2023 8:00 am ET
Bruce Hawkingberry. Mugshot provided by the Allegheny County Jail. Background photo credit: OlinEJ / Pixabay.
FINDLAY TOWNSHIP, PA (PPP)— An Oakdale man has been arrested and charged with indecent assault after his 5-year-old victim reported that he touched her inappropriately.
According to the affidavit of probable cause filed in a criminal complaint against 36-year-old Bruce Hawkingberry, the victim’s parents called the police after the child told them what had happened.
Police officers told the parents that a forensic interview needed to be conducted, according to the complaint.
The juvenile was subsequently interviewed by an employee of the Allegheny County Child Advocacy Center, according to the complaint.
Following the interview, police interviewed Hawkingberry, who admitted to them that he had touched the child inappropriately, says the complaint.
Hawkingberry was arrested and booked into the Allegheny County Jail with bail denied.
Name: Bruce Hawkingberry
Gender: Male
Age: 36
Agency: Findlay Township Police Department
Court: Magisterial District Court 05-3-17
Docket Number: MJ-05317-CR-0000129-2023
Date Filed: April 6, 2023
Bail: N/A
Confinement: Allegheny County Jail
Confinement Reason: Bail denied.
Criminal Charges
- Indecent assault (Felony 3)
- Endangering the welfare of children (Felony 3)
- Corruption of minors (Felony 3)
- Unlawful contact with a minor (Felony 3)
Affidavit of Probable Cause
On 03/08/23 at approximately 2345 hours, your Affiant, Anthony Tarantino, while functioning as a Findlay Township Police Officer, was dispatched to ████████████ for the report of a 5 year old child being sexually abused by an upstairs neighbor. Your Affiant has been employed as a patrolman with the Findlay Township Police Department since February of 2018 and is currently assigned to the investigations function within the department. The victim in this investigation is a five year old female, whose information is known to your Affiant, and who shall be referred to as Jane Doe for confidentiality purposes.
Your Affiant arrived on scene at approximately 2351 hours, and met with Doe’s parents, ███████ and ███████. ███████ advised that on this date Doe disclosed to him that Bruce Hawkingberry had “touched her chicken”. ███████ asked Doe to clarify what she meant by “chicken”, to which Doe replied that her “chicken” is the place that she pees from.
Due to Doe’s disclosures to ███████, your Affiant advised ███████ and ███████ that a forensic interview would need to be arranged for Doe in order to obtain further information. A child forensic interview was subsequently scheduled for 03/17/23 at 1300 hours at the Allegheny County Child Advocacy Center at A Child’s Place.
On 03/17/23 at approximately 1300 hours, I remotely observed Doe’s child forensic interview via Zoom. The interviewer, ███████ of the Allegheny County Child Advocacy Center, asked Doe if she (Doe) had any secrets, to which Doe replied that Mr. Hawkingberry touches her “chicken” and that Mr. Hawkingberry told her not to tell her parents or her doctor, otherwise he would “kick her out of the house”. ███████ asked Doe to clarify what she meant by “chicken”, to which Doe replied that her “chicken” is “where she pees from”. Doe further advised that her clothes were on at the time of the incident.
On 4/6/23, at 14:45 hours, Allegheny County Police Detective Orchowski and I interviewed Hawkingberry at Allegheny County Police Headquarters. I read Hawkingberry his Miranda Rights, to which he acknowledged and he signed a rights waiver form. Hawkingberry stated that on an unknown date in November of 2022, he was the only adult caretaker watching Doe at her residence in Findlay Twp. Hawkingberry reported that he was laying on the living room couch with Doe watching television. Hawkingberry stated that he was having thoughts about how Doe would look when she turned eighteen. At this point, he admitted that he rubbed her inner thigh with his hands and touched her vagina over top of her underwear with his fingers. Hawkingberry also described another incident that occurred on an unknown date in December of 2022. He said that he was the only adult caretaker watching Doe at her residence in Findlay. He stated that while he was watching Doe, she urinated on the living room couch. He admitted that while he was wiping her vaginal area with a wet wipe, he used his finger to touch her vagina for sexual purposes.
In the computerized construction of the criminal complaint and affidavit utilizing the Allegheny County ASAP system, certain fields require specific dates and times in order for the document to be generated. In this criminal complaint, certain dates and times have been estimated to satisfy this requirement. Furthermore, your affiants know through our training and experience that adolescent victims have difficulty in articulating exact times and dates of criminal incidents.
Based upon the aforementioned victim’s disclosure during a forensic interview, along with the defendant’s incriminating statements, your affiant believes that probable cause exists to obtain a warrant of arrest for the defendant for the crimes enumerated in this complaint.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Oakdale ‘Caretaker’ Facing Indecent Assault Charges for Allegedly Abusing a Five-year-old Child
An Oakdale man is facing charges of indecent assault after being accused of sexually abusing a five-year-old child under his care.
By Silvia Torres
Published: May 16, 2023 8:00 am ET
Bruce Hawkingberry. Mugshot provided by the Allegheny County Jail. Background photo credit: OlinEJ / Pixabay.
FINDLAY TOWNSHIP, PA (PPP)— An Oakdale man has been arrested and charged with indecent assault after his 5-year-old victim reported that he touched her inappropriately.
According to the affidavit of probable cause filed in a criminal complaint against 36-year-old Bruce Hawkingberry, the victim’s parents called the police after the child told them what had happened.
Police officers told the parents that a forensic interview needed to be conducted, according to the complaint.
The juvenile was subsequently interviewed by an employee of the Allegheny County Child Advocacy Center, according to the complaint.
Following the interview, police interviewed Hawkingberry, who admitted to them that he had touched the child inappropriately, says the complaint.
Hawkingberry was arrested and booked into the Allegheny County Jail with bail denied.
Name: Bruce Hawkingberry
Gender: Male
Age: 36
Agency: Findlay Township Police Department
Court: Magisterial District Court 05-3-17
Docket Number: MJ-05317-CR-0000129-2023
Date Filed: April 6, 2023
Bail: N/A
Confinement: Allegheny County Jail
Confinement Reason: Bail denied.
Criminal Charges
- Indecent assault (Felony 3)
- Endangering the welfare of children (Felony 3)
- Corruption of minors (Felony 3)
- Unlawful contact with a minor (Felony 3)
Affidavit of Probable Cause
On 03/08/23 at approximately 2345 hours, your Affiant, Anthony Tarantino, while functioning as a Findlay Township Police Officer, was dispatched to ████████████ for the report of a 5 year old child being sexually abused by an upstairs neighbor. Your Affiant has been employed as a patrolman with the Findlay Township Police Department since February of 2018 and is currently assigned to the investigations function within the department. The victim in this investigation is a five year old female, whose information is known to your Affiant, and who shall be referred to as Jane Doe for confidentiality purposes.
Your Affiant arrived on scene at approximately 2351 hours, and met with Doe’s parents, ███████ and ███████. ███████ advised that on this date Doe disclosed to him that Bruce Hawkingberry had “touched her chicken”. ███████ asked Doe to clarify what she meant by “chicken”, to which Doe replied that her “chicken” is the place that she pees from.
Due to Doe’s disclosures to ███████, your Affiant advised ███████ and ███████ that a forensic interview would need to be arranged for Doe in order to obtain further information. A child forensic interview was subsequently scheduled for 03/17/23 at 1300 hours at the Allegheny County Child Advocacy Center at A Child’s Place.
On 03/17/23 at approximately 1300 hours, I remotely observed Doe’s child forensic interview via Zoom. The interviewer, ███████ of the Allegheny County Child Advocacy Center, asked Doe if she (Doe) had any secrets, to which Doe replied that Mr. Hawkingberry touches her “chicken” and that Mr. Hawkingberry told her not to tell her parents or her doctor, otherwise he would “kick her out of the house”. ███████ asked Doe to clarify what she meant by “chicken”, to which Doe replied that her “chicken” is “where she pees from”. Doe further advised that her clothes were on at the time of the incident.
On 4/6/23, at 14:45 hours, Allegheny County Police Detective Orchowski and I interviewed Hawkingberry at Allegheny County Police Headquarters. I read Hawkingberry his Miranda Rights, to which he acknowledged and he signed a rights waiver form. Hawkingberry stated that on an unknown date in November of 2022, he was the only adult caretaker watching Doe at her residence in Findlay Twp. Hawkingberry reported that he was laying on the living room couch with Doe watching television. Hawkingberry stated that he was having thoughts about how Doe would look when she turned eighteen. At this point, he admitted that he rubbed her inner thigh with his hands and touched her vagina over top of her underwear with his fingers. Hawkingberry also described another incident that occurred on an unknown date in December of 2022. He said that he was the only adult caretaker watching Doe at her residence in Findlay. He stated that while he was watching Doe, she urinated on the living room couch. He admitted that while he was wiping her vaginal area with a wet wipe, he used his finger to touch her vagina for sexual purposes.
In the computerized construction of the criminal complaint and affidavit utilizing the Allegheny County ASAP system, certain fields require specific dates and times in order for the document to be generated. In this criminal complaint, certain dates and times have been estimated to satisfy this requirement. Furthermore, your affiants know through our training and experience that adolescent victims have difficulty in articulating exact times and dates of criminal incidents.
Based upon the aforementioned victim’s disclosure during a forensic interview, along with the defendant’s incriminating statements, your affiant believes that probable cause exists to obtain a warrant of arrest for the defendant for the crimes enumerated in this complaint.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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