Wayne County District Attorney A.G. Howell announced today the arrest of Joseph A. Christensen, 42, of Browndale, Clinton Township, Wayne County, PA. Christensen was charged with one count of False Imprisonment of a Minor, a felony 2nd degree, one count of Corruption of Minors, a felony 3rd degree, one count of Unlawful Contact With a Minor, a felony 3rd degree, one count of Indecent Assault by Forcible Compulsion, a misdemeanor 1st degree, one count of Indecent Assault Without the Consent of Other, a misdemeanor 2nd degree and Indecent Assault of a Person Less Than 16 Years of Age, a misdemeanor 2nd degree.
According to the Criminal Complaint Affidavit of Probable Cause, the Wayne County Detectives received a “Child Welfare Report To Law Enforcement Official” stating that a 13-year-old juvenile female had reported being sexually assaulted by an adult. The juvenile reported that she was at her friend’s house and the friend’s father, later identified as the defendant, Joseph Christensen, sexually assaulted her.
The incident took place in early 2021 at Christensen’s residence in Browndale. The juvenile stated that she was sitting on the couch in the living room playing video games when Christensen came up to her, pinned her down on the couch and tried to kiss her. She was able to move away from him, but he kept moving closer. He managed to hold her down and again tried to kiss her. He then bit her on the neck and kissed her on the lips, after which he got up and left the room.
On July 2, 2021, Christensen was taken into custody pursuant to an arrest warrant. A Preliminary Arraignment was conducted by Magisterial District Judge Carney and he was remanded to the Wayne County Correctional Facility on $15,000.00 cash bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 7, 2021 at 9:00 am.
*NOTE: The filing of criminal charges is not evidence of guilt but simply a description of the charge made by the Commonwealth against a defendant. A charged Defendant is presumed innocent until a jury returns a unanimous finding that the Commonwealth has proven the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt or until the defendant enters a guilty plea to the charges.
