A Pennsylvania man has been charged with 5,538 criminal offences in connection with the alleged repeated sexual abuse of an underage girl, in what prosecutors believe could be the largest number of charges ever filed in a single criminal case in the state.
According to court records, 37-year-old Nicholas Allen Spencer is facing thousands of charges, most of them felonies, including rape, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault without consent, and related offences involving force, threats and coercion.
Prosecutors allege that the victim told investigators she was sexually abused almost daily over a period of several years before eventually confiding in a friend, who encouraged her to report the alleged abuse to authorities. Nearly 4,000 of the charges are classified as felonies.
Clearfield County Deputy District Attorney Tami Fees described the case as unprecedented, saying it is likely the largest criminal case ever prosecuted in the county and possibly in Pennsylvania.
“Probably our largest case ever,” Fees told TMZ.
She said prosecutors intend to hold Spencer fully accountable and will seek a sentence that would keep him imprisoned for life, arguing that the alleged abuse deprived the victim of her childhood and could have lifelong consequences.
Investigators said the alleged victim was under the age of 16 and believed the abuse began when she was around 12 years old.
Spencer was formally charged on Tuesday and has been remanded in custody at the Clearfield County Prison. He is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on August 12.
The allegations remain before the court, and Spencer is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.