WEST BRANDYWINE TOWNSHIP, PA — An 18-year-old man from Honey Brook has been charged in connection with the sexual assault of a 7-year-old child, the Chester County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Drake Lease was arraigned on July 21 and is currently held at Chester County Prison on $750,000 cash bail. He is charged with Rape of a Child, Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse with a Child, and related offenses. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 11.
According to the Chester County Detectives, on July 20, officers from the City of Coatesville Police Department received a report that a child had been sexually assaulted at a residence in West Brandywine Township. The victim was transported to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she received medical care and a sexual assault examination.
Investigators stated that the child disclosed being assaulted while staying overnight at a relative’s home. Lease was identified as the suspect following interviews and a subsequent investigation.
The Chester County Detectives are leading the case with assistance from the Coatesville Police Department and West Brandywine Township Police Department.
Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe said, “No child should be sexually assaulted in the middle of the night at a relative’s house.”
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Chester County Detectives at 610-344-6866.