Shade Township man sentenced to decades for sexual assault of children
A 53-year-old Shade Township man has been sentenced for an aggregate 25 to 50 years for sexual assault of two children.
After a five-day trial in February, a jury of six women and six men took nearly six hours to find Michael Merringer Sr. guilty of 33 counts of sexual abuse of two children over several years.
He was originally charged with 1,174 counts related to raping and molesting the minors between 1996 and 2011. All but 33 charges were withdrawn prior to trial. Among the charges the jury found criminal guilt by Merringer that included offenses of rape of a child, aggravated indecent assault and sexual assault.
"We are pleased to have delivered justice for the family in this horrific case," said acting Somerset County District Attorney Molly Metzgar said in a statement issued after the sentencing.
Merringer's defense attorney, Matthew Zatko of Somerset, said after the trial's verdict was in that he couldn't comment on the trial and its result because Merringer was considering "potential appeals."
What:'Potential appeals' considered after Shade Township man convicted for 33 counts of abuse
According to court documents, a woman came forward in October 2012 to report that she had been sexually abused as a child by Merringer. The woman told authorities that Merringer had touched her inappropriately as far back as she could remember.
She said that Merringer began raping her around the time she turned 12 and stopped when she was 16. In November 2012 the woman decided not to pursue the matter.
Seven years later, on Feb. 26, 2019, and April 1, 2019, a man came forward and told police that he remembered being abused by Merringer from the ages of 5 to 13, including being raped. The man also told police that he remembered being choked by Merringer if he resisted, according to the affidavit.
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On the same date, the woman who had reported being abused by Merringer and then decided not to pursue the matter was interviewed by police. She relayed the story to authorities along with other incidents.
The man told police the abuse ended in 2012 when the woman came forward with her allegation.
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After the jury returned its verdict, Merringer's bond was revoked and he was remanded to the Somerset County Jail until his sentencing Wednesday.
Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. Shawn Reynolds, who conducted the investigation, and Metzgar and Assistant District Attorney Christina DeMarco-Breeden prosecuted the case.
Follow Judy D.J. Ellich on Twitter at @dajudye
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Somerset County man sentenced to decades for sexual abuse of children
