PD: Curwensville man accused of repeatedly molesting teens; asked ChatGPT for legal help
Ralph Yarger arrest (Curwensville PD)
CLEARFIELD COUNTY, Pa (WJAC) —Authorities in Clearfield County say a 56-year-old Curwensville man is facing more than two dozen charges following a months-long investigation into allegations that he repeatedly molested two underage teens.
Police say Ralph Yarger was arrested this week after a pair of teenage girls accused him of repeatedly touching them inappropriately at multiple homes in Curwensville Borough.
According to the criminal affidavit, police say one of the victims described numerous incidents of being assaulted or groped while she slept.
Investigators say the victim also accused Yarger of allegedly attempting to film her while she was getting undressed or using the bathroom, though police say no such photos or videos were ever found on his phone.
Police say the second victim reportedly described similar incidents of being molested in her sleep.
During a forensic search of Yarger’s phone, police say investigators discovered a series of inappropriate notes in which he allegedly appeared to accuse the teens of ‘fighting for his attention’ by acting provocatively.
Authorities say the teens denied such claims, further describing incidents in which Yarger allegedly tried to “creep” on them in the bathroom or made inappropriate comments about how they were dressed.
Upon further investigation, police also discovered dozens of illegal internet searches related to sexual acts involving underage and ‘sleeping girls.’
Police note that some of the searches also included keywords like “voyeurism” and “teen girl spied on.”
Weeks after the allegations were first reported, police say Yarger is also accused of sending a series of questions to the A.I. chatbot known as ChatGPT.
Police say many of the questions were related to legal advice after being accused of a crime, including a specific question about whether or not he should hire a lawyer.
According to online court records, Yarger is facing multiple counts of misdemeanor indecent assault and felony unlawful contact with a minor.
He was arraigned to the Clearfield County Jail on Tuesday evening but has since posted bond.
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