Ambridge Man Held for Trial, Pleads Not Guilty to Child Rape Allegations

An Ambridge man who is charged with raping a young girl pleaded not guilty at his preliminary hearing Tuesday.

Leetsale Magisterial District Judge Robert ordered Richard McCracken, 28, to stand trial on all charges he faces in the case involving a 12-year-old girl. Patch does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault.

The girl testified that the assaults began in fall 2008 while she was 8 and in the third grade and continued until the spring of 2009, when she was in the fourth grade and moved away from McCracken. Her testimony Tuesday came after a prosecutor asked to sequester potential defense witnesses from the courtroom.

Lisa Carey, a prosecutor with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office, said there was no need for anyone who later might be called to testify to be in the courtroom Tuesday and possibly influence the outcome of the case.

“This is a horrible thing this child is going to have to testify to,” Carey argued.

McCracken’s attorney, David DeFazio of Pittsburgh disagreed, saying there was no basis to remove anyone from the courtroom and that he wasn’t planning to call any witnesses.

Judge Ford didn’t clear the courtroom, but asked spectators to remain  quiet and warned that he would immediately remove anyone who made an outburst. 

The girl testified that McCracken was dating her biological mother when he began her at her mother's home. She said McCracken stayed at the home a few nights a week and would babysit while her mother was out “partying” or otherwise was absent.

The first assault happened on a school night when McCracken was babysitting her and younger children in her family, the girl testified. She said he touched her near her private parts.

She said no other adults were in the home when the assaults happened and they occurred everytime McCracken babysat. In another incident, the girl said McCracken struck her on her bottom, leaving a red mark, because she wouldn’t pull down her pants or underwear.

She testified that she later obeyed his request because “I didn’t want to get hurt.” 

The girl said there was another time when the two were on the couch watching Nickelodeon and he ordered her to stand up. She testified that she never actually saw McCracken’s penis during the assaults, but that she felt pain.

After the assaults, she said, he would call her derogatory names. 

She testified that she never told her biological mother or anyone at school of the assaults, but eventually told her father's fiancee' in May. That led to Allegheny County Police detectives filing charges against McCracken. 

DeFazio asked that the rape charges be dropped, but Ford held all charges for court.

The girl now lives with her biological father and his fianceé, both of whom attended the hearing with her Tuesday. Neither of the girl’s biological parents were present to offer guardianship on her behalf in order for her to testify at a previous hearing last month.

The girl’s biological father’s fianceé accompanied her then, but that hearing was postponed. Representatives with the Center for Victims of Violent Crimes accompanied the child to the hearing Tuesday. 

Calling McCracken a “dangerous sexual predator” and a threat to society, Carey challenged his bail status, which was reduced last month from $150,000 straight to $50,000 straight bond at DeFazio’s request. Ford ordered McCracken, who has posted bail, to have no contact with the girl or witnesses in the case.

DeFazio pointed out that McCracken arrived to court in a timely manner, sat composed during testimony and remains in compliance with his bail conditions.

“He’s here. He’s been good all week,” DeFazio said.