A 38 year old York County man has been charged with indecent assault for a July 2018 incident at Camp Kirchenwald.
According to the affidavit, the crime came to light when the parents of the alleged victim noticed a change in behavior of the child around the alleged assailant, one Benjamin Leese of Dillsburg, PA.
Despite questions of the child, it wasn’t until two weeks later that the alleged victim told a family member that Leese had molested her at the camp. Police later established a similar understanding of events during an interview with the victim.
Camp Kirchenwald is run by the Lutheran Camping Corporation of Central Pennsylvania and located near Colebroook/Mount Gretna. According to their website, “since 1969, Kirchenwald has provided children a unique (in every sense of the word) place to grow and mature.”
Leese has a preliminary hearing scheduled for February 21 in front of District Judge Carl R. Garver.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to contact the Lebanon County Detective Bureau.