State police in Cameron County have charged an Emporium man for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl last year, according to a criminal complaint.
Troopers say 30-year-old Zachary Nellis has been charged with one count of indecent assault, according to online court documents.
Authorities say Nellis is accused of assaulting the girl at her home in Shippen Township on the evening of June 18, 2020.
Troopers say the victim told investigators that Nellis inappropriately touched her private area “really hard” to the point that it caused her pain, the complaint states.
Investigators add that the victim allegedly attempted to bite Nellis to get away from him but that he stopped when other residents of the home “got up to witness a medical helicopter that had landed nearby,” the victim stated in the complaint.
Nellis is being housed at the McKean County Prison, on $10,000 bail, court dockets show.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 27.
