Man charged with sexual abuse of underage girl in Virgil

An 18-year-old man was arrested Thursday for sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl this fall at a Virgil home, according to the Cortland County Sheriff’s Office.

The man, whose name was not released by the Sheriff’s Office, abused the girl between September and November 2018, according to police. The man and the girl knew each other, the office noted in a press release.

The Sheriff’s Office did not release the man’s name as he could be eligible for youthful offender status, which would seal his court records in the future, said Lt. Todd Caufield. Police are only supposed to release the names of 17-, 18- and 19-year-olds if they have committed a handful of specific felonies - felonies that the defendant in this case is not charged with, Caufield said.

The abuse was reported to officers on Jan. 14 and investigators determined the man repeatedly, inappropriately touched the girl, according to police. In one instance, the man restrained her for a “short period of time,” but the girl was able to break free, said Caufield. No injuries were reported, the press release noted.

The man was arrested on Thursday at the Cortland County Sheriff’s Office, where investigators had conducted an interview as part of the investigation, Caufield said. He was charged with felony first-degree sexual abuse, as well as three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of forcible touching and second-degree unlawful imprisonment, misdemeanors.

The 18-year-old was arraigned Thursday in Virgil Town Court and released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to reappear at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 29 in Virgil Town Court.