By JOSH COTTON

jcotton@timesobserver.com

A Youngsville man has pled guilty to charges that will make him a registered sex offender for the next 25 years.

Nicholas L. Cox, 19, Youngsville, was charged with statutory sexual assault -4 to 8 years older; interference with custody of children; two counts of corruption of minors; unlawful contact with minor — sexual offenses; and indecent assault — person less than 16 years of age back in July.

He pled guilty on Thursday before Judge Gregory Hammond to statutory sexual assault, interference with custody of children and indecent assault. The remaining charges were not prosecuted in exchange for the plea.

District Attorney Rob Greene said that the plea was discussed “extensively” with the victim and the victim’s mother.

Hammond informed Cox that the interference charge makes him a Tier I sex offender with a 15 year registration period and that the indecent assault charge carries a 25 year Tier II registration term.

He also informed Cox that those registration terms would begin once he is released from prison.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, the alleged victim, a 14-year-old girl, told Pennsylvania State Police she was with Cox from Friday, June 21, through Sunday, June 23, at his residence in Youngsville. She told police Cox was there when she was given alcohol and marijuana, and that she was intoxicated and naked in his bed on the night of Friday, June 21.

“Juvenile female would not or could not provide details of sexual contact, though she stated she believed ‘they had sex,'” police said in the affidavit.

Police said surveillance video confirms the two were together at various locations over the weekend.

According to police, Cox told the alleged victim’s mother that he did not know where she was on the morning of June 23.

Police said Cox admitted to having sex with the girl, that she was given alcohol and marijuana, and that he told his parents the girl was 16, though he knew she was 14. Police said Cox said, “he knew what he did was illegal and that he had made a mistake in his actions” with the girl.

Robert L. Bloom

Robert Lee Bloom, 33, was charged with indecent assault and indecent exposure by Pennsylvania State Police in July and also pled on Thursday.

The victim in the case is a seven-year-old female.

He pled guilty on Thursday to the indecent exposure charge while the indecent assault charge was not prosecuted.

Hammond identified the specific conduct, namely that he exposed his genitals in the company of a seven-year-old child.

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.

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

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.”