A Russell man has pleaded guilty to one of the three felony charges against him.

Bryan K. Bair of Russell had been charged with two counts of unlawful contact with a minor – sexual offenses, a class 3 felony; corruption of minors – defendant age 18 or above, a class 3 felony; indecent assault without consent of other, indecent assault forcible compulsion and indecent assault person less than 16 years of age after an investigation by the State Police at Warren.

He pleaded guilty to the third-degree felony charge of corruption of minors and indecent assault recently in the Court of Common Pleas in front of Judge Gregory Hammond. The other charges were not prosecuted. Bair will undergo Sexually Violent Predator assessment, according to information received by the court.

Bair has been in the Warren County Jail since the charges were filed in late January, though bail was modified in February from $25,000 cash to $25,000 unsecured.

According to the Affidavit of Probable Cause, the incident allegedly took place in late April 2024 while the girl and Bair were allegedly alone in a living room. Bair allegedly held one of the girl’s hands while the girl was holding an infant at the same time, which the affidavit says prevented the girl from being able to defend herself. The investigation began after the girl’s grandmother reported the incident to the State Police at Warren saying the girl had been sexually assaulted earlier in the day. The girl then went to the Warren County Children’s Advocacy Center in early May, where she was interviewed again.

The affidavit says state troopers interviewed Bair in September in his driveway. While Bair said he was at the same gathering as the girl, he said he wasn’t paying attention to the girl and denied the incident throughout the interview.

“The defendant continued to deny allegations of inappropriate physical contact,” the affidavit states.

A final interview in the case was done in October, when troopers were able to contact another person who was at the gathering. The woman said that while people were in and out of the living room throughout the day, Bair and the girl were both in the living room. The woman said the girl wasn’t acting normally and, when the woman asked the 13-year-old what was wrong, she allegedly began to cry.

“The girl disclosed the incident to a known female at the gathering,” the affidavit states. “This ultimately led to (the girl) discussing the incident with her guardian and grandmother.”

Other pleas on May 8 in Hammond’s Court of Common Pleas courtroom include:

– Damian Brown of Warren pleaded guilty to a charge of harassment. Charges of strangulation – applying pressure to throat or neck, a class 1 felony; aggravated assault – attempts to cause or causes bodily injury with a deadly weapon, a class 2 felony; misdemeanor charges of terroristic threats with intent to injure another and simple assault were not prosecuted.

– Jada L. Coursey of Warren pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal use of a communication facility, possession with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia. Not prosecuted were charges of with three counts of dealing in the proceeds of unlawful activities, three counts of possession with intent to deliver, two counts of criminal use of a communications facility, four counts of possession of a controlled substance and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.

– Elijah T. Cummings of Warren pleaded guilty to DUI: high rate of alcohol – BAC .10-.16% and a traffic citation. A charge of DUI/unsafe driving and a traffic citation were not prosecuted.

– Jason A. Dahlstrand of Erie, Pa., pleaded guilty to DUI: high rate of alcohol – BAC .10-.16% and two traffic citations while a charge of DUI: general impairment – incapable of safe driving – first offense and three traffic citations were not prosecuted. An Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition, a pre-trial diversion program for first-time offenders, was revoked.

– Randy L. Eck of Bear Lake pleaded guilty to possession with intent to deliver and a traffic citation. Charges of false identification to law enforcement, possession of a controlled substance and possession – small amount of marijuana were not prosecuted.

– Jeremiah G. Lyon of Clarendon pleaded guilty to DUI/BAC .16% and greater – second offense, disorderly conduct and a traffic citation. A charge of DUI: general impairment – incapable of safe driving – second offense and six traffic offenses were not prosecuted.

– Michael R. Miller of Warren pleaded guilty to a charge of terroristic threats with intent to terrorize others and simple assault. Charges of strangulation and harassment were not prosecuted.

– Edward Swartwood pleaded guilty to DUI: highest rate of alcohol (BAC .16% or higher) – second offense. A charge of DUI: general impairment – incapable of safe driving – second offense was not prosecuted.

– Travis Whippo pleaded guilty to simple assault. Charges of endangering the welfare of a child and harassment were not prosecuted.