NEW CASTLE —
A Wampum constable has been accused of fondling and taking nude photos of a 4-year-old girl.
Dustin Michael Piatt, 30, of Main Street was arraigned yesterday morning before District Judge Jerry G. Cartwright on two felony counts of photographing a sex act with a child; two felony counts of unlawful contact with a minor/sexual offenses; two misdemeanor counts of corruption of minors; and two misdemeanor counts of indecent assault on a person less than 13 years of age.
Piatt was placed in the Lawrence County jail on $25,000 bond. He faces a preliminary hearing at 9:30 a.m. Thursday in Lawrence County Central Court.
Piatt was elected borough constable in November 2009. In that same election, he was unsuccessful in his bid for a council seat. Piatt’s Facebook profile stated he is also a North Beaver Township volunteer firefighter.
According to court documents, the victim’s parents brought her to investigators after she had told her mother that Piatt, who is a relative, had touched her genitals.
She repeated the accusation to investigators, adding that it happened in his bedroom and more than once.
Piatt, the victim said, took her clothes off before touching her, and that he gave her gum and a green bracelet, which stayed in his room.
The girl also told investigators that Piatt took “bad pictures” of her, and that she did not have clothes on when he did this. She said she was lying on the bed, and that Piatt took the photos with his cell phone on more than one occasion.
She also indicated that in addition to using his finger, Piatt also touched her genitalia with his own.
The alleged incidents took place between January 2009 and July 2010.
The court documents say that a search warrant issued for Piatt’s bedroom turned up multiple Flip-Itz bracelets, including a green one, on top of a nightstand. Additionally, multiple photos of the victim and her younger sister in their underwear were found on Piatt’s cell phone and the hard drive of his laptop computer.
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