Nicholas Hummel (Credit: Bucks County District Attorney’s Office)
A 35-year-old Richland Township man who earlier this year pleaded guilty to raping a child will serve 18 to 40 years in state prison and have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Nicholas Hummel was sentenced Monday for repeatedly raping a girl between 2018 and May 2022, when the then-13-year-old revealed to a school counselor that she was being sexually assaulted, a Crimewatch news release from the Bucks County District Attorney’s office said.
A subsequent investigation “found that Hummel…had raped her as recently as two days before she made the report to the school counselor,” the release said.
Hummel pleaded guilty on March 1 to charges of rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a person less than 16, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault of a child, aggravated indecent assault of a person less than 16, incest, indecent assault of a person less than 13, corruption of minors and indecent assault.
At his sentencing, members of the girl’s family spoke about the trauma, pain and confusion Hummel’s actions have caused the victim, the DA’s office stated.
“The strength it took for this young woman to stand up to this man and seek out help after years of abuse is immeasurable,” said Deputy District Attorney Mary Kate Kohler. “She has been through so much heartache in her short life, but I have no doubt that she will thrive now that the defendant has been removed from society. She is a special young lady and has a bright future ahead of her.”
In addition to sentencing Hummel to state prison and declaring him a sexually violent predator who will be subject to monitoring under Megan’s Law, Bucks County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley also ordered him to undergo sex offender treatment in prison and have no contact with the victim, or any unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 once he is released, the news release said.
