Grindstone man charged in sex investigation
REDSTONE TWP. – A Grindstone man remains jailed in lieu of a total of $1 million bond for separate cases in which he is accused of sexually assaulting young girls over an eight-year period. Mark Anthony Kerik, 24, of 376 Braznell Concrete Rd., Grindstone, was arrested by the Pennsylvania state police Friday morning on warrants related to incidents that allegedly occurred in Fayette and Washington counties between December 1992 and June 2000.
Kerik is charged with three counts of rape, two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, four counts of aggravated indecent assault, five counts of indecent assault and one count each of indecent exposure and corruption of minors. Although he was a juvenile when some of the alleged offenses occurred, Kerik is being tried as an adult.
According to the affidavits filed with the five complaints, Kerik allegedly assaulted three girls, now ages 14, 15 and 17, while he babysat them. Some of the incidents allegedly occurred when the girls were between 5 and 10 years old.
The incidents allegedly took place in East Bethlehem Township, California and Coal Center in Washington County and in Redstone and Dunbar townships in Fayette County. According to the complaints, the 17-year-old complainant claims Kerik raped and assaulted her at a Coal Center farm between December 1992 and September 1996 when she was between the ages of 7 and 10.
He also allegedly had indecent contact with the 15-year-old complainant at that same address, while she was between the ages of four and eight.
The 14-year-old victim alleges that between November 1993 and November 1996, Kerik allegedly had indecent contact with her at a residence in Fredericktown. The girl was between the ages of 5 and 8 at the time and said the incidents occurred in various rooms of her home while Kerik was babysitting.
Similar incidents involving the 14-year-old and the 17-year-old are alleged to have occurred between November 1993 and December 1999 at Kerik’s residence in Grindstone and at another residence in Grindstone during that same period. The 17-year-old said she was 12 at the time, and it was the last time Kerik assaulted her.
The California Borough incidents allegedly occurred between September 1996 and September 1997 and involved the victim who is now 15 years old. She was 8 or 9 at the time.
The most recent incidents occurred in Dunbar between Jan. 10, 2000, and June 2000 involving the 15-year-old victim.
District Justice Mike Defino has set Kerik’s bond at $200,000 cash for each of the five cases. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Tuesday before Defino, but Kerik declined the services of a public defender and Defino granted a 30-day continuance of the hearing to allow Kerik to obtain an attorney.