Man Charged With Sexual Assault Of Girl, 13, In Abington

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA — A 31-year-old township man is in custody on charges of sexual assault of a teenage girl from another part of the state, police said.

The Abington Township Police Department’s Special Victims Unit initiated an investigation on Jan. 8 after receiving information that a 13-year-old girl had possibly been sexually assaulted in a township home.

Detectives determined that 31-year-old Shaquan Bell, a resident of the township's Willow Grove section, began communicating with the victim via Instagram in August 2025, police said.

After several months of communication, Bell met with the victim on Jan. 6 in Dauphin County, where the victim resides, police said.

Police said the two then traveled to Bell’s home in the 2400 block of Old Welsh Road, where the sexual assault is alleged to have occurred. The victim returned home the following day and reported the incident to authorities.

Following an investigation with the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, an arrest warrant was issued for Bell on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Bell was taken into custody at his home by the Abington Township Police Department.

He was charged with multiple felony offenses, including Statutory Sexual Assault, Aggravated Indecent Assault, and Unlawful Contact with Minors.

He was arraigned with bail set at $1 million. Bell was ordered to have no contact with the victim, any minors, or access to the internet.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with any additional information or who believes that they may have been a victim should contact Detective Alison Gontowski (267-536-1100, agontowski@abingtonpa.gov) of the Abington Police Special Victims Unit.