Former White Deer Township couple's child abuse charges move to county court

All charges against a former White Deer Township couple accused of abusing a young girl for eight years are now headed to Union County Court of Common Pleas. The bind-over at the end of preliminary hearings means the case moves past the district court stage and into county court, where prosecutors can continue pursuing the felony charges.

Allen Keister, 46, faces felony counts including rape of a child, statutory sexual assault and related offenses. Melissa Keister, 44, faces felony endangering the welfare of children and misdemeanor corruption of minors charges. Police said both defendants were arraigned in the case, with Allen Keister jailed on $75,000 bail and Melissa Keister released on $10,000 unsecured bail.

State police said the alleged abuse happened in White Deer Township between 2014 and 2022, and the case was reported in February 2025. Court documents say the alleged victim described the home as a “house of horrors.” The victim alleged that Allen Keister raped her as a young girl for eight years, while Melissa Keister allegedly locked her in a small space under the stairs for days.

The move to common pleas court does not decide guilt or innocence, but it does keep every charge alive for prosecution. The next steps are likely to include formal arraignment proceedings in county court, pretrial motions and then either a trial date or plea discussions. For Union County residents following the case, the bind-over means the justice process is still advancing rather than ending at the preliminary hearing stage.

The defendants are described in reporting as Mississippi residents, adding an interstate dimension to a case centered in White Deer Township and investigated by state police out of Milton. The long span of the alleged abuse, and the fact that it went unreported until 2025, is part of what has made the case especially troubling in local court coverage.

Union County has also seen other White Deer Township child-welfare cases in recent months. Josephine Taylor Carr pleaded guilty to three felony counts of endangering the welfare of children in a separate case involving three toddlers, then received a sentence in June 2026 of five months to seven years in state prison after allowing them to live in deplorable and unsanitary conditions.