An East Deer Township man has been charged in connection with the sexual assault of a minor.

The Allegheny Valley Police Department responded to a 911 call for a report of a sexual assault involving a 12-year-old female just after 10 p.m. on July 28.

Allegheny Valley police determined that the alleged assault occurred on a walking trail near the Allegheny River. The Allegheny County Police Department's General Investigations Unit was subsequently requested to initiate an investigation.

Detectives learned the female victim and a second juvenile female were walking along the trail and looking for an exit when they encountered a group of people along the riverbank.

Witnesses say an adult man, later identified as 40-year-old Brian Ball, offered to escort the girls off the trail, adding tha

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