Bradley Lavan

By Jillian Pikora From Daily Voice

A former 911 coordinator pleaded guilty to sexually abusing multiple children after forcing them to endure nearly a week of emotional testimony, prosecutors announced on Monday, Dec. 7.

Bradley Lavan, 32, entered his guilty plea to all 39 charges on the fifth day of his child sex abuse trial at the Somerset County Courthouse, according to District Attorney Molly Metzgar. He had been on trial for the sexual abuse of five children, all under the age of seven.

The abuse began in 2021, and an investigation into Lavan was launched in 2023 after the children came forward, authorities said. The jury had already viewed recorded interviews from victims who said Lavan made them perform sexual acts on him. One child told investigators he showed her pornographic content on his phone and instructed her to mimic what she saw. Four other children reported witnessing the assaults, investigators detailed.

Before the trial resumed this week, prosecutors said Lavan pleaded guilty to all counts, including child rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child.

Metzgar condemned Lavan for forcing the children to testify even though he knew he was guilty.

“It is absolutely shameful that these poor children were forced to relive the horrors of these crimes one more time, when Lavan knew of his guilt,” Metzgar said. “Despite that, I am so proud of each and every one of them for their courage to stand up and tell their stories.”

She also thanked the jury for their service.

“I’m also thankful to the jury for their service. I know it certainly can’t be easy to sit through the graphic details of these horrible rapes and assaults. As hard as it is to serve, our country needs good and responsible people on juries everywhere,” she said.

Lavan will undergo an assessment to determine if he is a sexually violent predator. He has been remanded to jail while awaiting sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. Comments from his defense team were not available.