Sullivan County District Attorney Jim Farrell today announced that Vernon Newhall, 50, of Bloomingburg, was convicted on Thursday, June 1, 2017, in Sullivan County Court, following a jury trial of two counts of Rape in the Second Degree, class D violent felonies, Criminal Sexual Act in the Third Degree, Rape in the Third Degree, both class E felonies, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a misdemeanor, before Judge Michael F. McGuire.

The proof at trial established that Newhall engaged in a sexual relationship with his female victim while she was between the ages of 14 and 16 years old.  Between November 2014 and September 2016, as the jury found, Newhall engaged in numerous acts of sexual intercourse and oral sexual conduct with the young girl. Although these events initially went unreported, the victim disclosed defendant’s abuses of her to a school nurse, whereupon the New York State Police were notified; Newhall was arrested on November 5, 2016.

District Attorney Farrell thanked Executive Assistant District Attorney Julie M. Mohl, who prosecuted this case at trial, and the New York State Police and Sullivan County Family Violence Response Team, comprised of members of the Department of Family Services, State Police and the District Attorney’s Office, who investigated the case. “The sexual assault of our children cannot be tolerated,” said District Attorney Farrell. “This victim displayed tremendous courage and bravery in coming forward to confront her abuser, and this jury properly credited her testimony. My office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who prey upon and sexually abuse children, seeking appropriate sentences of incarceration and appropriate sex-offender conditions during and after their prison sentences.”

Following his convictions, Newhall was remanded to the Sullivan County Jail in lieu of $75,000 cash bail or $250,000 bond pending sentencing, where he remains at this time. Sentencing is scheduled for August 22, 2017, at which time Newhall faces an aggregate state prison sentence of up to twenty years.