A Northeastern Pennsylvania man was taken out of a Westmoreland County courtroom in handcuffs Friday after being handed a jail sentence for sexually assaulting a teenage girl five years ago.
Judge Christopher Feliciani sentenced David Stone, 62, of Dingmans Ferry in Pike County, to six to 23 months in the county jail.
“This does appear to be a very limited incident that occurred … and it was very isolated in the context that I’m considering for sentencing purposes,” Feliciani said.
Stone was convicted by a jury in December of two misdemeanor charges of indecent assault and corruption of a minor in connection with accusations that he improperly touched a then 13-year-old Williamsport girl during a camping trip at Keystone State Park in June 2020.
The teen accuser testified Stone, who was watching an adult-themed television show while seated where she attempted to sleep in a small pop-up camper, grabbed her breasts and attempted to force her hands into his crotch.
Stone is awaiting trial in Tioga County on similar felony charges filed in 2022 related to allegations he sexually assaulted a child in 2008.
Feliciani said he did not consider those allegations when fashioning a sentence in the Westmoreland case.
Stone told Feliciani on Friday he had no recollection of the teen’s accusations from the Keystone camping trip and claimed to have been asleep. Defense attorney Marco Sylvania requested Stone be sentenced to probation.
But Assistant District Attorney Leo Ciaramitaro focused on the fact that Stone didn’t acknowledge the conviction in a statement to the court, but rather tried to re-litigate what was already decided by jurors. Ciaramitaro asked for jail time.
“He didn’t come here to ask for mercy or moderation, your honor, he came here to say I’m not guilty of these things,” Ciaramitaro said.
A defense bid to have Stone surrender to the jail at a later date to begin serving his sentence was denied.
The Tioga County case is pending.
