Montgomery County Counselor, 73, Accused Of Inappropriately Touching 14-Year-Old Girl
LANSDALE, Pa. (CBS) – Authorities say a 73-year-old Montgomery County man has been arrested for allegedly inappropriately touching a 14-year-old girl.
Officials say Bernard Rivas is a licensed counselor who sees clients in his home office and his internet ads specifically mention his counseling work regarding teens in crisis.
Authorities say on February 27, the Upper Gwynedd Township Police Department received a complaint of Rivas inappropriately touching a teenage girl. The young victim had been in his presence as a client repeatedly, officials say.
The victim told authorities that Rivas touched her on intimate areas and she was able to secretly photograph him touching her on two occasions.
Police say she also provided a detailed description of Rivas' inappropriate communication and actions towards her over an extended period of time.
On March 19, authorities say Rivas was arrested for endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors and indecent assault.
He was arraigned before a judge and posted 10 percent of his $5,000 bail to be released.
Officials say he was ordered to have no unsupervised contact with children.
Anyone with information relating to Rivas' activities is urged to call the Tipper Gwynedd Township Police at 215-699-5861 or the Montgomery County Detective Bureau at 610-278-3368.
