HT News

BUTLER TWP. – A former Drums man has been charged in connection with a five-month-long child molestation investigation.

click image to enlarge

Sizemore

Select images available for purchase in the
Times Leader Photo Store

Butler Township police on Wednesday arrested Phillip Sizemore, 40, formerly of Fox Hollow Drive, and charged him with sexually abusing two girls who were 7 and 10 years old when the abuse started. Sizemore also is accused of showing the girls sexually explicit movies and then molesting them, police said.

The investigation began in early March after both girls reported the alleged abuse to a parent.

Police said they found numerous child pornographic videos on Sizemore’s computer, including a tutorial on how to molest a child, during a search of his home on March 6.

Sizemore was arraigned on six counts of corruption of minors, three counts each of aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, two counts each of endangering the welfare of children and unlawful contact with minor, and a single count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.

Police also charged him with 50 felony counts of sexual abuse of children related to pornographic videos that were found on his computer, police said.

According to the criminal complaint:

On March 5, a relative of the girls reported to Butler Township police that the girls were being sexually abused. One girl had been abused since 2001, the relative said.

Police said the oldest girl was molested by Sizemore about twice a week. When she turned 13, the attacks were more “frequent and aggressive,” according to the criminal complaint.

Sizemore was arraigned by District Judge Joseph Zola of Hazleton and taken to Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $500,000 bail.

A preliminary hearing has been temporarily scheduled for Aug. 12 at District Judge Daniel O’Donnell’s office in Sugarloaf.