Washington man charged with sexually assaulting teenage girl
A Washington man was arraigned Thursday on charges he allegedly assaulted a teenage girl on two occasions last month at an apartment in the city.
Justin Tyler Fonner, 23, was charged by Washington police with two counts of statutory sexual assault and one count of unlawful contact with a minor. He is accused of having sex with the 13-year-old girl May 2 and 3.
City police were contacted by the girl’s mother May 3 about the alleged sexual assault. The girl reportedly left her home without permission on the night of May 2 and had no contact with her mother until the following day. When questioned, the girl reportedly admitted she spent the night with Fonner and had sex with him.
The 13-year-old reportedly told Detective Dan Rush, who filed the charges against Fonner, she had contact with him through social media and text messages before meeting him May 2. She also told Rush Fonner knew her age from her Facebook page.
A review of Fonner’s cellphone showed numerous text messages between him and the girl from February to May.
Fonner pleaded guilty in January 2017 to statutory sexual assault filed against him by city police for an October 2015 incident involving another minor. He was sentenced to 11 to 23 months in jail.
District Judge Robert Redlinger set bond on Fonner, who has been in Washington County jail on a parole detainer since May 4, at $100,000. He is scheduled for a June 13 preliminary hearing before Redlinger.