NORRISTOWN — A Bucks County man who authorities said had indecent contact with three underage girls in Rockledge and Philadelphia will spend up to six years in prison.
Joshua Alan Kessler, 22, of the 1200 block of Jacksonville Road, Ivyland, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 3 to 6 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to felony charges of aggravated indecent assault of a person less than 13 and indecent assault of a person less than 13 in connection with multiple incidents that occurred between 2017 and 2021 at times when he was alone with each of the victims.
Kessler knew the victims’ families, according to court papers.
Judge Thomas M. DelRicci, who accepted a plea agreement in the case, also ordered Kessler to complete three years of probation consecutive to parole, meaning Kessler will be under court supervision for nine years.
DelRicci ordered Kessler to have no contact with the victims.
Additionally, the judge ordered Kessler to undergo a psychosexual evaluation and to comply with all recommendations for treatment.
Kessler also must be evaluated by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board which will determine if he meets criteria to be classified as a sexually violent predator. Those classified as predators face more stringent restrictions while serving parole and probationary periods.
Kessler also faces a lifetime requirement to report his address to state police in order to comply with the Pennsylvania Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act, previously known as Megan’s Law.
Kessler pleaded guilty to the charges shortly before jury selection was to begin for his trial.
An investigation began in February 2022 when Rockledge detectives met with three juvenile females, accompanied by their parents, who reported they were indecently assaulted at locations in Rockledge and Philadelphia when they were in the company of Kessler, according to court documents.
The girls told detectives the sexual assaults occurred when they were under the age of 13 and that the assaults included indecent touching and other sexual contact. Kessler was between the ages of 17 and 20 when the assaults occurred, court papers indicate.
One girl told detectives the contact made her feel “uncomfortable” and a second girl said she “felt invaded” and that Kessler instructed her “not to tell anyone or there would be consequences,” according to a criminal complaint filed by Rockledge Detective Luke M. Lukashunas.
“(The victim) was scared when she heard there would be consequences,” Lukashunas wrote in the arrest affidavit.
Other charges of rape of a child, statutory sexual assault and corruption of minors were dismissed against Kessler as part of the plea agreement.
Assistant District Attorney Jediah Grobstein handled the case. Defense lawyer Michael John represented Kessler during the court proceedings.
