Richard Behrens, 65, of Tyrone, was charged with indecent assault from an incident that allegedly took place April 3 at a pull off along Decker Hollow Road, approximately 3.5 miles west of SR 4031 in Snyder Township.
According to the state police report, officers investigated an allegation of unwanted touching that occurred on the above date between the hours of 10:30 and 11:15 p.m.
It was reported that Behrens and an adult teenage female from Tyrone were on their way home from an Altoona Curve game, and Behrens pulled over along Decker Hollow Road. He began hugging the female victim and inappropriately touched the victim, without her consent. This inappropriate and unwanted touching was to the upper half of the female victim’s body.
After a two-week long investigation, which included interviews of the victim and Behrens, a criminal complaint was filed against Behrens for one count of indecent assault.
On April 30, Behrens admitted to state police that he touched the breasts of the female victim, but says he was not trying to sexually arouse himself or the victim.
The criminal complaint was filed before Magisterial District Judge Fred Miller.
Judge Miller told The Daily Herald this morning that as soon as the complaint was filed by state police, he recused himself from the case.
The next step will be for Judge Jolene Kopriva to assign a different magisterial district judge to the case and then a summons and preliminary hearing date will be established.
Behrens is a practicing Blair County attorney and was a former Blair County Court of Common Pleas judge.
