State College man in court for child abuse | News, Sports, Jobs

Kenneth Yerger

LOCK HAVEN – Kenneth Yerger, 27, of State College, was scheduled to go on trial this week after a lengthy preliminary hearing before Magistrate Judge Frank Mills on more than 50 counts of sex offenses involving four girls between the ages of 9 and 15.

At Monday's three-hour hearing, District Attorney Dave Strouse introduced each of the juvenile victims, who testified to a total of 17 separate crimes committed by Yerger between 2017 and 2022, according to a press release from the prosecutor's office via Crimewatch.

After testimony concluded, Strouse filed a motion to amend the criminal complaint, adding 24 additional charges against Yerger based on the victims' statements, dramatically increasing the number of alleged incidents, the press release said.

Judge Mills allowed the changes, finding that the Commonwealth had presented sufficient evidence to support the charges and limited the charges.

Yerger is now moving closer to a jury trial in this case.

In total, Yerger is accused of two counts of rape of a child (Crime 1), two counts of sexual assault (Crime 2), two counts of aggravated assault (Crime 2), 15 counts of sexual assault (Crime 3), 17 counts of unlawful contact with a minor (Crime 1), two counts of sexual assault (Crime 2), 17 counts of seduction of a minor (Crime 3) and two counts of sexual assault (Crime 3).

After prevailing at the preliminary hearing, Strouse also requested an immediate bail modification given the overwhelming evidence against Yerger, the decades-long prison sentence he faces and the “increased likelihood that Mr. Yerger is a flight risk now that he knows how much evidence there actually is against him,” the prosecutor argued.

Judge Mills agreed with the Commonwealth and changed bail to $750,000.

According to the press release, the decision came after Yerger had a verbal outburst in the courtroom in which he claimed the prosecutor was “trying to take his life.”

Sheriff's deputies immediately took Yerger into custody and transported him to the Clinton County Correctional Facility, the press release said.