Holly MatkinMiddletown, PA – A grandfather punched a 22-year-old alleged child molester in the face after finding him with his pants down inside his five-year-old granddaughter’s bedroom, according to police.
The incident occurred in the area of the Pineford Apartment complex on the afternoon of Aug. 24, the Middletown Borough Police Department (MBPD) said in a press release the following day.
The little girl’s grandfather later told investigators that he was walking past his granddaughter’s bedroom when he noticed his daughter’s fiancé, 22-year-old Aaron Cunagin, holding the girl on his lap, the Centre Daily Times reported.
He said he thought the situation was a bit “weird,” but that he “did not think anything else” about it at the time, according to court documents.
But the grandfather said he began thinking that the room was “too quiet” when he passed by again a few minutes later, so he stepped inside, the Centre Daily Times reported.
He told police he found Cunagin in the corner of the bedroom between a crib and a bed with his pants down in front of the five-year-old girl, according to FOX News.
Court documents said Cunagin and the little girl both had their genitals exposed at the time, the Centre Daily Times reported.
The grandfather said he immediately stepped in and punched the alleged child molester before calling the MBPD.
Officers responded to the scene shortly after receiving the call just after 3:30 p.m., the police department said in the press release.
They subsequently arrested Cunagin on charges of rape of a child, unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault, indecent exposure, and corruption of minors.
According to investigators, the suspect initially told police that his pants accidentally fell off after he stood up, FOX News reported.
Cunagin later claimed the little girl pulled her pants down, causing him to feel “numb,” and that he subsequently pulled his pants down, according to police.
According to court documents, he said he was “fighting himself whether or not to have sex with the victim” when the little girl’s grandfather interrupted him, the Centre Daily Times reported.
“It was just going through my head if I should really do it or not,” he allegedly said, according to FOX News.
He also allegedly claimed he “blacked out” during the incident and that he was sorry for what occurred, police said.
Investigators said the victim told police Cunagin assaulted her on five other occasions in the past, but the suspect denied those accusations.
Cunagin was being held at the Dauphin County Correctional Facility on $150,000 bail after his arraignment, according to the MBPD.
His preliminary hearing has been set for Sept. 7, The Centre Daily Times reported.
