Spring City man charged with rape of teenage girl

Authorities say alleged sexual assaults occurred in 58-year-old’s apartment

>> Chester County authorities have filed charges against a man who they say sexually assaulted a teenager multiple times over the course of a year at his apartment, all the while keeping her under video surveillance.

Michael Richardson, 58, of Spring City, was arrested by Chester County Detectives and Spring City police on Tuesday and charged with 25 counts of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, endangering the welfare of a child, and related offenses.

The charges stem from a Childline report last month about a 16-year-old girl who stated that Richardson raped her and forced her to perform sexual acts one to two days a week for over a year beginning in 2020.

Said District Attorney Deb Ryan in a social media announcement of the charges, “This child was saved from further harm by a call to Childline, one of the county’s most effective tools against child sexual abuse. I commend the victim for having the fortitude to disclose what was happening to her inside that home. She is truly courageous.

“We will hold her abuser accountable under the law for his depraved acts,” Ryan said of Richardson.

According to a criminal complaint filed by county Detective Bernard Martin, the teenager moved from Georgia, where she lived with her adoptive family, to Richardson’s two-bedroom apartment in Spring City in early 2020. Because there was only one bed available, the girl said she was forced to share it with Richardson, where she was sexually assaulted one to two times a week.

MediaNews Group does not print the names of the victims of alleged sexual crimes unless they give their permission.

Richardson is said to also have bought lingerie

for the girl and forced her to wear it before coming to bed. All the rooms had surveillance cameras except the bathroom; Richardson’s bedroom did not have a door, and he used the cameras to watch the girl sleeping or getting dressed, according to the complaint.

At some point, Richardson also took the teenager’s phone and other items away when she refused to have sex with him. When asked what would happen if she told someone, she told investigators that Richardson shoved her and called her a psychopath.

After being arraigned by Magisterial District Judge John Hipple of South Coventry on Wednesday, Richardson

was taken to Chester County Prison in lieu of $750,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is set for March 11.

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to call Chester County Detectives at 610-344-6866. Call Childline if you suspect child abuse at 610-344-5800.