Teen Charged With Sex Offense Moved To Juvenile Court

A Bel Air teen indicted in December on sexual assault charges will no longer be tried as an adult after a Harford County judge ordered the case be moved to juvenile court.

The move closes legal proceedings to the public and the media, preventing the coommunity from following further developments in the case.

A hearing to determine whether or not the teen would be tried as an adult or have the case moved to juvenile court was held earlier this month. Prosecutors withdrew objections to moving the case to juvenile court and Judge Elizabeth Bowen ordered the case moved to juvenile court on March 20, according to online court records.

The accused teen, now 17, of the 800 block of Bridle Path, was indicted Dec. 11 in Harford Count Circuit Court on two counts of first-degree sex offense, two counts of third-degree sex offense and single counts of second-degree sex offense, attempted second-degree sex offense, fourth-degree sex offense and second-degree assault.

The charges stem from November 2012 incident in Forest Hill.

The juvenile victim told police she was in the basement of a home in the 1900 block of Hill View Drive when a teenage boy with blond hair attacked her in the dark, according to charging documents. She later recognized her alleged attacker.

The of pushing her to the ground and ordering her to take off her clothes. When she refused, he allegedly flashed a lighter and threatened to burn her face, then pulled out a folding knife. The girl said when she saw the knife, she stopped resisting, according to charging documents.

The boy then allegedly used either the knife or part of his body to sexually assault her, charging documents state.