A Centre County man faces decades in prison after he was convicted on Friday of sexually abusing four girls over a five-year period.
Kenneth M. Yerger, 28, of Ferguson Township, was found guilty by a Clinton County jury following a two-day trial of 56 counts related to child sexual abuse. Judge Michael F. Salisbury remanded Yerger to the Clinton County Correctional Facility to await sentencing, which is scheduled for Dec. 9.
The jury of six men and six women found Yerger guilty of two counts each of rape of a child, aggravated indecent assault, statutory sexual assault and sexual assault; 15 counts of indecent assault of a child under the age of 13; 16 counts each of unlawful contact with a minor corruption of minors); and one count of indecent assault of a child under the age of 16.
The convictions carry a possible combined maximum sentence of 659 years in prison, according to Clinton County District Attorney Dave Strouse.
“I am obviously pleased with the verdict, and I am very grateful for the service of our jury. But most of all, I am happy for the four victims in this case who had to endure so much, including the traumatic experience of having to sit in the courtroom and face their abuser,” Strouse said in a statement. “I hope they can use this verdict as a starting point to heal and find happiness in their lives”
Yerger was arrested in July 2024 on charges that he sexually abused four girls between the ages of 9 and 15 from 2017 to 2022.
One of the victims reported the abuse occurred in Centre County. All four gave similar accounts of Yerger giving them money or promising gifts to do what he told them or to not tell anyone about the abuse, according to NorthCentralPA.com.
Strouse credited the efforts of state police troopers Chad Harpster and Dalton Young for their work investigating the case.
