According to court documents, 42-year-old Bartholomew L. Crusan, of Silver Creek, New York, was arraigned on criminal charges in Magisterial District Judge Andrew F. Fish’s office on Tuesday, June 25, at 1:30 p.m.

The charges stem from an investigation initiated by Franklin-based State Police on September 14, 2018, after the department received two separate reports of suspected child abuse through Venango County Children and Youth Services (CYS).

The victims were identified as a 14-year-old girl (victim one) and a 13-year-old girl (victim two).

According to a criminal complaint, victim one’s mother reported the sexual assault to CYS after her daughter disclosed being touched by Bartholomew Crusan in a sexual manner and being forced to touch Crusan in a sexual manner.

In a forensic interview, the victim related that the incidents began when she was approximately five to six years old, most often when she was asleep. The victim also stated Crusan instructed her not to tell anyone, according to the complaint.

The first victim gave explicit details of the assaults and stated that when she said “no,” Crusan would then hold her down. The victim reported that the sexual abuse happened at three separate locations in Venango County, the complaint states.

According to the complaint, the victim reported that on at least one occasion, Crusan attempted to rape her, but she got away and locked herself in a bathroom until one of her friends came over.

The complaint indicates that the victim said these incidents happened at least 20 times at one location, at least five times at a second location, and at least twice at a third location.

The complaint notes the first victim told the second victim about the incidents and learned the second victim was also victimized by Crusan.

According to the complaint, Crusan had a relationship with a member of the victim’s family around the time in question, and Trooper Johnson indicated that the relationship would have given Crusan access to both victims on a regular basis.

According to a second complaint, in a forensic interview, the second victim reported that in one incident, Crusan made her touch his penis while she was alone with him in the living room of a residence in Venango County. She also said Crusan was watching pornography, and she tried to turn her head away, but he kept pushing her head to watch it.

The second victim would have been between the ages of seven and nine years old at the time of the incident, the complaint indicates.

Based on the investigation, PSP Franklin filed the following charges against Crusan in Judge Fish’s office on February 12, 2019:

Charges filed for first criminal case:

– Rape of Child, Felony 1
– Statutory Sexual Assault: 11 Years Older, Felony 1
– Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse W/Child, Felony 1
– Aggravated Indecent Assault — Complainant Less Than 13 Years Old, Felony 2
– Indecent Assault Person Less than 13 Years of Age, Felony 3 (27 counts)
– Corruption Of Minors — Defendant Age 18 or Above, Felony 3

Charges filed for second criminal case:

– Indecent Assault Person Less than 13 Years of Age, Felony 3 (27 counts)
– Corruption Of Minors — Defendant Age 18 or Above, Felony 3

Crusan was lodged in the Venango County Jail with bail denied.

The Bail Action Reason is listed on the court documents as: “Def. has no address, phone # or employer. Def. has absconder warrant from probation/parole in PA.”

Preliminary hearings are scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3 in front of Judge Fish.

EDITOR’S NOTE 1: Extreme graphic details were not included due to the sexual nature of the alleged crimes.

EDITOR’S NOTE 2: Several details were removed from this article to help protect the identity of the victim.