Upper Nazareth Child Rape Suspect Goes on Trial

An Upper Nazareth Township man, on trial for allegedly sexually assaulting a Bethlehem Township girl starting when she was 5, professes his innocence, according to his lawyer who was quoted in an Express Times story.

Dennis L. Prendes, 62,  is charged with performing sex acts on a Bethlehem Township girl between 1996 and 2004. He was arrested earlier this year by Bethlehem Township police and is being tried in Northampton County Court. 

The accuser, now 21, approached police last year with the allegations. She reportedly did not come forward during the alleged abuse -- which ended when she was 13 -- because Prendes told her it would upset her parents and he would instead sexually abuse her younger sister, the story said. 

Prendes' lawyer, Brian Collins, said his client denies committing the crimes. Collins questioned why the accuser took so long to come forward and noted that she reported the allegations when she was getting counseling for postpartum depression.