A Hellertown borough man is charged with raping a child under the age of 13, according to local police and court records.
Lehigh Valley Live cited court documents in reporting Tuesday that Jason Edward Messics, 31, allegedly admitted to sexually assaulting the child between some point in 2019 and August 2020.
Records indicate that the charges against Messics were filed by police in the City of Bethlehem.
Public online records indicate that Messics resides in the 400 block of Main Street in Hellertown, although Lehigh Valley Live reported that he lives in the 100 block of Constitution Avenue in the borough.
Messics is charged with rape of a child (Felony 1), aggravated indecent assault of a child (Felony 1), involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child (Felony 1), involuntary deviate sexual intercourse by forcible compulsion (Felony 1), endangering the welfare of children (Felony 3), corruption of minors (Felony 3) and two misdemeanor counts of indecent assault, Northampton County court records show.
Following a preliminary arraignment before District Judge Richard H. Yetter III Monday evening, Messics was committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $200,000 straight bail, according to the criminal docket for his case.
A preliminary hearing for Messics is scheduled to be held before District Judge Nancy Matos Gonzalez in Bethlehem at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, according to the complaint, which as of Tuesday did not list an attorney for Messics.
Note: Individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using information from police documents.
