Butler County man accused of sexually assaulting 15-year-old girl

BUTLER COUNTY, Pa. — A Butler County man is behind bars after Pennsylvania State Police say he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl.

The girl was a student at Karns City Area Junior-Senior High School and investigators say the man was a volunteer at an after-school activity there.

The alleged sexual assault happened last March.

State Police charged and arrested Brayden Edwards, 22, on Thursday.

“It’s just kind of shocking to me,” Trisha Titus said.

She and other community members expressed their surprise after learning about the alleged incident.

“I have kids, I have two daughters, actually. It’s very gross, disgusting to me,” said resident Tyler Greene.

Investigators say Edwards was volunteering with an after-school activity the teen girl participated in.

According to the police report, he took her to an Applebee’s in March 2023 where he had “a lot of beers.”

Then, outside in the parking lot, the girl told Troopers that Edwards gave her a nicotine vape pen which she said made her “buzzed” before he started kissing her.

“It’s just not right. It shouldn’t happen,” Titus said. “It just makes you wonder where society is going.”

The next day, investigators say Edwards picked the girl up at her house, parking at the end of her driveway where “Nobody could see they were parked there,” and forced her to have sex with him in the car.

“Anybody who’s going to do something like that to a minor, they don’t belong here,” Greene said.

According to court filings, school administrators were notified about the alleged incident in August.

Channel 11 reached out to the district’s superintendent for comment but has not heard back.

State Police say, in an interview with Troopers, Edwards admitted to inappropriate contact with the girl.

He’s now being held at the Butler County Jail, unable to post $125,000 bail.

“He should be held accountable,” Titus said. “Anybody in their right mind should’ve never done anything like that.”

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