Union County jury convicts Mifflinburg man of raping 9-year-old girl

A Union County jury found Melvin Ross, 53, of Dice Road in Mifflinburg, guilty Tuesday of raping a 9-year-old girl after a two-day trial. Jurors took more than five hours to reach verdicts that resolved the question of guilt on some of the county’s most serious child-abuse charges.

The verdict covered six felony counts: rape of a child, statutory sexual assault of a juvenile under 16, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault of a juvenile under 13, indecent assault of a juvenile under 13 and corruption of minors. Ross was also convicted of one misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child.

The case began with a ChildLine referral in August 2024, a reminder of how child-protection reporting systems can become the first step toward a criminal case when abuse is hidden from public view. Police said the girl reported being assaulted at Ross’s home in Limestone Township on Aug. 16, 2024, setting in motion the investigation that eventually led to trial in Union County.

District Attorney Brian Kerstetter served as the lead prosecutor, while Lewisburg public defender Brian Ulmer represented Ross. After the guilty verdicts, Judge Michael Piecuch revoked Ross’s $50,000 unsecured bail and ordered him held in the Union County Jail while a pre-sentence investigation is completed.

No sentencing date had been set. That leaves the case in the next phase, where the court will weigh the convictions, the victim impact, and Ross’s background before imposing punishment.

For Union County, the verdict underscores the stakes when child-abuse allegations move through the justice system in a small community. A ChildLine referral in August 2024 became a prosecution that ended with a jury conviction in front of local residents, and the outcome now shifts the focus from guilt to sentencing, accountability and the protections meant to catch abuse before it can continue.