Former Johnstown-area man to stand trial for assaults on teen girls

Dec. 21—A former Johnstown-area man will appear in Cambria County court, accused of sexually assaulting two girls in 2004, authorities said.

Robert B. Ostrander, 56, of New Windsor, New York, waived his right to a preliminary hearing on Wednesday before District Judge Susan Gindlesperger, of Stonycreek Township.

The Pennsylvania District Attorney's Office charged Ostrander with multiple counts of indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children and corruption of minors.

Charges were filed following a statewide grand jury report.

Ostrander was one of four Jehovah's Witnesses members accused in separate incidents across Pennsylvania involving as many as 19 minors, court records show.

Ostrander allegedly took advantage of relationships he formed within the religious community to sexually assault two girls in Cambria County when they were in their mid-teens. The assaults took place from 2004 to 2006 in the 400 block of Michigan Avenue in Stonycreek Township.

The grand jury found that Ostrander used "wrestling" as an excuse to grope one of the girls and attempted to pull down a girl's swimsuit while in the pool.

"We need to sit down and take a look at the allegations and the evidence to see if what the attorney general's office is alleging has any factual basis," Ostrander's attorney, Daniel Kiss, of Altoona, said. "The report says this is almost 20-year-old allegations, so anytime you have something like that, you have to look at it very, very closely. We need to see the evidence."

The three other suspects were charged in separate incidents alleged to have occurred in Allegheny, Berks and Lancaster counties, the report said.

Ostrander is free on bond.