Charleroi man charged with statutory sexual assault in Connellsville Twp. and Belle Vernon

A Charleroi man is facing 61 felony charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl about 40 times over a period of two years or more starting in 2006.
Bradley James Russell, 43, of 1105 Oakland Ave. was 33 when the alleged crimes occurred. The girl was 14 or 15.
The Herald-Standard does not identify those who allege they are victims of sexual assault.
She reported the alleged assaults to state police March 20, 2015, when she was 22. She told police Russell began talking about sex with her when she was 13 or 14. She said he began sexually assaulting her when she was 14 or 15 in the fall of 2006, according to court documents.
“She said she didn’t realize at the time that it was wrong. She said she trusted him like he was a father figure,” police wrote in court documents.
The alleged assaults occurred at two Connellsville Township addresses and three Belle Vernon addresses. She told police sometimes he would buy her alcohol and cigarettes and take her to a motel for sex, court paperwork said.
“She said it was weird that an older man of his age was interested in her. She said that she realized how wrong it was and that he should not have taken advantage of her in that way,” investigators wrote in the affidavit of probable cause.
She started a conversation with him on Facebook in March 2014 “to find out why he did what he did.” She provided the messages to police, where he allegedly admitted he had sex with her when she was less than 16. The messages said he did not regret it. He asked, “Are you going to have me arrested?” according to court documents.
Police interviewed him April 29, 2015. He initially denied any sexual contact with her, saying that “they got along well and he felt like a father figure.” He said he paid for her cellphone when she needed help, sometimes bought her Christmas gifts and took her to a Steelers game, police said.
When confronted with the conversation in March, “He said he believed she must be mad because he quit helping her out like he used to.” He later admitted to having sex with her once when she was 20. When pressed about a text message where he seemed to say the girl was 15 at the time, he claimed a voice-to-text system misheard him. Eventually, he admitted to having sex with her once when she was 16 or 17, but denied she was any younger, court documents indicate.
The charges for alleged sexual assaults occurring in Belle Vernon were consolidated and filed in Fayette County on consent from the Westmoreland County District Attorney.
Russell is charged with 40 counts of statutory sexual assault, 20 counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a person less than 16 and one count each of aggravated indecent assault of a person less than 16, corruption of minors and indecent assault.
A warrant was issued for Russell July 20. He was arraigned Friday morning before Magisterial District Judge Ronald Haggerty Jr., who set bail at $30,000. He was released Monday after bond was posted on his behalf.
His preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Aug. 15 before Haggerty.