Trial begins for man accused of sexually abusing child while babysitting
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (Jan. 31, 2024) – A former Tusky Valley student teacher and daycare worker is being tried in Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court for gross sexual imposition.
25-year-old Justin McCauley is accused of having sexual contact with a young child he was babysitting. His attorneys maintained his innocence during their opening remarks.
“Once this girl made this statement to whomever she made it in whatever context she made it, all of the resources, everything was designed to prove it. Everything,” said Attorney Tom Pavlinic, who’s defending the case with Attorney Chris DeLaCruz. “The investigation that followed, to say that it was biased and incompetent is kind.”
Assistant County Prosecutor Kristine Beard characterized the alleged crime involving a child McCauley used to babysit as an ongoing course of conduct that continued until she made a concerning statement to her mother.
“It was the result of sexual trauma that began in September 2019 and ended when a little girl had the gumption and strength and faith to tell.”
Witnesses expected to testify for the state include the mother, the sheriff’s deputy who took the initial report, and a trauma specialist from the Lighthouse Family Center in Canton. McCauley’s attorneys plan to call his mother, the daycare owner, and the defendant himself to the stand.
“He’ll answer all of my questions, of course, any questions that Ms. Beard has,” Pavlinic said. “You’ll have an opportunity to look at him. You’ll have an opportunity to judge his credibility and hear what he has to say.”
Another jury found McCauley not guilty of the same crime for a second sex abuse allegation involving a different child. The Tusky Valley Board of Education relieved him of his student teaching duties and role as a substitute cashier/monitor after learning of the investigation.