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Statutory sexual assault charges withdrawn against Kane 19-year-old

Charges against Kayhl James Nearing, 19, of Kane, have been withdrawn.

Nearing was charged in March with two felonies — statutory sexual assault and corruption of minors — following a February incident in which he came to Warren to meet a 15-year-old juvenile that he had been dating.

According to Warren County District Attorney Rob Greene, those charges “were based on Mr. Nearing being four or more years older than the minor female who consented to the sexual contact” that occurred in Warren at her sister’s home in February.

“Assistant District Attorney (Caleb) Gnage discovered that the age difference was… less than four years difference and therefore we immediately filed a praecipe to withdraw the charges and I personally delivered the withdraw of charges to the jail to have him immediately released.”

Greene said, “This was a mistake. Charges should never have been filed against Mr. Nearing due to the fact that, according to Pennsylvania law, no crime had been committed.”

Nearing was arrested on March 22 and placed in the Warren County Jail on $25,000 bail. The praecipe to withdraw criminal charges was filed on Friday, April 7, and signed by Judge Maureen Skerda on Monday, April 10.

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