Man pleads guilty of child sex assault as his trial begins

WEST CHESTER » Hours after participating in jury selection for his scheduled trial on charges that he repeatedly raped a young girl over a two-year period, a Chester County man entered a guilty plea in the case — a decision that was seen as a favorable outcome for both sides.

Christopher Finnefrock pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, and single counts of unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of minors. He was sentenced to eight to 16 years in state prison, plus five years additional

probation.

Finnefrock, an auto body mechanic, was also ordered to have no contact with the victim of his crimes, an 11-year-old girl, or her family. He must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

“This plea ensures a child abuser is off the streets of Chester County for a long time and spares the young child victim from the difficult task of having to testify in front of the man that abused her,” said Deputy District Attorney Megan King, who was prosecuting the case with Assistant District Attorney Christine Abatemarco — both of whom are assigned to the D.A.’s Child Abuse Unit.

“While nothing can erase the pain the child victim suffered, hopefully this sentence will help bring closure so that the healing process can begin,” King said in a statement Monday.

She said that although the child had been set to testify in Common Pleas Judge Ann Marie Wheatcraft’s courtroom this week,

she was not present for the guilty plea, which happened unexpectedly late Friday afternoon after a jury of seven women and five men had been selected.

Defense attorney Mark Conte of West Chester, who represented Finnefrock, said his client had decided to plead guilty after jury selection was completed upon considering his options.

“This case was a very difficult one for a number of reasons, but we were fully prepared to defend the case at trial,” Conte said in a phone interview Monday. “It came down to his word versus the complainant. Ultimately, however, my client decided that he wanted to take the (sentencing) offer that I was able to negotiate on his behalf. He had faced the possibility of 180 years in mandatory sentences, but he was sentenced to eight to 16 years.”

Finnefrock, 39, of New Garden, has been held in Chester County Prison on $350,000 bail since his arrest in October 2016.

On Oct. 24, a mother and her then-9-year-old daughter arrived at the Avondale barracks of the state police to report that the girl had been raped by Finnefrock. The girl later gave an interview to Trooper Alicyn March Stuart and Chester County Detective Gerald Davis in which she said that on multiple occasions, Finnefrock put his “privates” into her “privates.” She said that the experience hurt, and that when she told Finnefrock to stop he refused, telling her to keep what happened a secret.

The crimes occurred at more than one location in both Chester County and Lancaster County, according to court records. The girl said the sex began when she was 7 years old in 2014, and that it occurred in the shower, in a garage, and in Finnefrock’s bedroom.

She also said that during the two-year period, Finnefrock had also shown her what was described as child pornography on his cellphone.

He was initially charged with nine counts each of rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with minors, and other related counts.