UPDATE: Michael David Lewis Found Not Guilty For 642 Sex Assault Charges Involving 3 Girls

A Tennessee man, formerly of Mercer County, has been arrested on more than 600 different counts of child rape and abuse charges of three young girls in Mercer County.

Michael David Lewis, 40, was arrested by the FBI near Nashville, Tenn., last week. The alleged assaults happened over three years beginning in 2009. The victims were just 9, 10, and 12 years old when the abuse began.

Pennsylvania State Police started an investigation after two of the girls came forward about a month ago.

"We did our investigation. Based on their interviews, we located another female victim and interviewed her. We had recovered some physical evidence and other investigative techniques we used. We gathered some more evidence against Mr. Lewis," said Pennsylvania State Police trooper Troy Owen.

Investigators cannot comment on whether the victims are related because they are minors, but said all three are from the Mercer County and Jackson Township areas. Police said Lewis moved to Tennessee a while ago, but would come back to Mercer County to visit.

He is incarcerated in a Nashville jail on a list of 642 charges:


120 counts of rape of a child
120 counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child
121 counts of aggravated indecent assault
2 counts of indecent assault
142 counts of corruption of minors
2 counts of furnishing liquor to minors
12 counts of attempted rape of a child
2 counts of sexual abuse of children
120 counts of unlawful contact with a minor
1 count of attempt to commit indecent assault
The news of the alleged incident spread around town quickly.

"Reading the paper, and then heard about it from inside as well. It's a shame. I can't believe people are like that," said Josh Bradac of West Middlesex.

Lewis is waiting to be extradited back to Pennsylvania, which police said could take three to four weeks.  

He then will be arraigned in Mercer County on all of the charges.

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November 4, 2013

PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) – A man who had been accused of raping three young girls in Mercer County before moving to Tennessee has been found not guilty by a jury.

The Sharon Herald reported Saturday that 41-year-old Michael David Lewis is elated with the verdict.

Defense attorney Blair H. Hindman says the alleged victims’ testimonies were “blatantly different” from what they had told state police. Lewis took the stand in his own defense, and prosecutors had dropped the more than 100 counts filed in 2012 down to 19.

One more charge was dropped during the trial, and the jury acquitted Lewis on all the remaining counts.

Lewis is a former resident of Mercer County. Hindman said Lewis has returned to Tennessee to resume life there.

Lewis was arrested in 2012 and was initially facing over 600 sex-related charges.


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Unbelievable!!!!!