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Clarendon man jailed for alleged assault

A Clarendon man is behind bars on indecent assault charges against a seven-year-old girl.

Robert Lee Bloom, 33, was charged with indecent assault and indecent exposure by Pennsylvania State Police late Tuesday.

The incident, according to the criminal complaint, is alleged to have occurred on July 4 at the “railroad tracks behind 10577 Route 6,” just north of Cherry Grove Road between Clarendon and Sheffield.

Police were alerted to the situation by a CY104 — a Report of Suspected Child Abuse to Law Enforcement Official — which reported that the seven-year-old victim “had told her grandmother that Bloom had touched his ‘(private) to her (private),'” and reported that “this had occurred while with her mother’s friend Bloom on July 4th.”

The victim’s grandmother took the victim for a medical exam. Later that day, a forensic interview was conducted at the Warren County Children’s Advocacy Center.

The affidavit states that the victim said in the interview that “she had gone on a walk with Bloom” and “indicated Bloom has exposed his private… by undoing his belt, pulling his pants and underpants down.”

She further stated in the interview that Bloom “had grabbed her hand and pulled her down onto his lap” and added that “while she sat on his lap he asked her if her mother let her wear makeup.”

Police, the affidavit states, attempted to interview Bloom “near where this incident occurred” and Bloom “told (police) he was invoking his 5th Amendment rights and getting a federal attorney.”

Bloom was preliminarily arraigned by District Justice Raymond Zydonik Tuesday evening and placed in the Warren County Jail after he was unable to post $50,000 bail, online court records show.

A preliminary hearing has been set for 1 p.m. July 31.

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