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North Strabane man to stand trial in child sex assault cases

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A North Strabane man facing six separate sets of sexual assault charges waived his right to a preliminary hearing in all six cases Thursday.

Leo Adam Jonathan McIntyre III, 27, appeared at the Washington County Courthouse before District Judge Michael Manfredi for the scheduled hearing. William Bickerton, his attorney, declined to comment on the case.

Bickerton argued for McIntyre to be granted bond. Bickerton told Manfredi that McIntyre would not be a flight risk and would stay at his parents’ house.

Manfredi denied the request and McIntyre will remain in the Washington County jail while awaiting trial.

“We’re happy with the outcome today,” said Assistant District Attorney Cassidy Gerstner.

McIntyre faces several felonies including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children.

According to the criminal complaints, the six accusers are all male and described to investigators years of abuse and sexual assault that dated back to 2008. The oldest of the six is now an adult.

One of the accusers told police he had been sexually assaulted by McIntyre at least 100 times in a six-year period, while the youngest said McIntyre began assaulting him five years ago, with the most recent incident occurring last year.

Before his arrest, McIntyre had been a swim instructor at Goldfish Swim School in Peters Township. He was fired in June for “not following our curriculum and complying with brand standards,” according to Goldfish Chief Administrative Officer Christine Palmer.

Palmer said McIntyre’s employment required regular criminal and child abuse background checks, and that his most recent background check had been in January. According to Palmer, there were no indications of misconduct by McIntyre during his employment.

Gerstner said the investigation into McIntyre is ongoing, but she is not aware of any additional victims having come forward.

Peters Township police said they were not involved in the investigation and have not received reports of any incidents involving McIntyre occurring within the municipality.

A formal arraignment for McIntyre has not been scheduled.

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