Chester Elmer Green Jr. of New Kensington is expected to take the stand Thursday in his defense against charges that he sexually assaulted a 9-year-old girl almost a decade ago.
His accuser, now in her late teens, testified Wednesday in Westmoreland County Court that she wasn’t sure of the date when the alleged assault occurred but recalled the grade she was in. She did say she recalled the location.
Media does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault in most instances.
Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar told the jury during his opening remarks that the date is “not an element” of the alleged offense. He also said that it’s not uncommon for a child’s reporting of an assault to be delayed.
According to court documents, the accuser and her mother filed a report with police about the alleged assault years later, in September 2020.
Police said Green, 63, has “vehemently denied” the allegations.
The accuser told the jury she didn’t understand at the time what was happening during the alleged assault.
“I was just very confused, and it felt uncomfortable,” she said.
Following the alleged assault, Green told her not to tell anyone about the incident, she said.
“He told me if I said anything to my parents, I wouldn’t have parents,” she testified.
Defense attorney Ernest Sharif argued that the timeline remembered by the accuser isn’t consistent with other facts in the case.
The accuser indicated that years later she let her sister know that something bad had happened to her . She said she revealed more details about the incident to her mother later that same day.
“It was just very heavy on my mind that day,” the accuser said. “I felt I should say something.”
Sharif argued that, if the alleged victim was 9 at the time, the incident she reported would have to have taken place between June 2013 and the same time the following year.
Under questioning by Lazar, a relative of the accuser indicated that she would not have been able to be in contact with Green in the way the accuser described after January 2012.
Sharif said during his opening statement that Green has a good reputation in his community and served as a youth swim instructor for years without any complaints against him.
When the teen made her accusation against Green, “It hit him like a ton of bricks,” Sharif said. “He didn’t know anything about this. It came as a surprise to him.”
Sharif described Green as a “family man” with children. Sharif said it would be “absolutely crazy” for Green to have committed the alleged assault.
Green remains free on $40,000 bond. He is charged with aggravated indecent assault of a child, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children.