CORAOPOLIS — The man accused of grabbing a girl as she waited at her school bus stop in Coraopolis earlier this month, appeared in court for his preliminary hearing Tuesday morning.
Only Channel 11 was inside the courtroom as the judge held up all charges facing William Gorring, who had pleaded not guilty via his public defender.
The judge’s decision came after the nine-year-old victim testified that “[Gorring] put his hand over my mouth and the back of my head.”
She had been alone at the bus stop, located at McCabe Avenue and School Street, when Gorring allegedly grabbed her and attempted to drag her away.
The little girl dropped to the ground to protect herself as the school bus pulled up, according to her testimony.
The victim said she made eye contact with the bus driver, who then yelled her name. Gorring ultimately took off.
According to the criminal complaint, the young victim boarded the bus to school and then provided police with a description of Gorring. He was taken into custody shortly after that.
“We’re just really proud of her, she handled herself so well,” said Melanie Rauterkus, a family member. “She did everything right to save herself.”
During the hearing, an Allegheny County detective stated that Gorring had switched his stories during police interviews, but ultimately admitted to having grabbed the girl.
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The two were apparently strangers — yet Gorring indicated he had intended to “smash” her head against a nearby wall, according to testimony. The detective claimed that Gorring later used expletives to state that he should have killed the little girl and that he would be suing authorities over his arrest.
“We want to show we’re not going to stand for this, we want [the victim] to get justice and we don’t want this happening to any other kids,” said Kristen McKee, a family member.
McKee and Rauterkus were among multiple loved ones who appeared outside of the district court Tuesday morning in support of the victim.
They were pleased that the charges were held, and hope that the case prompts others within the community to be alert and aware of their surroundings.
“We want to bring awareness to people in the community and to also let kids know that if something seems weird, don’t be afraid to fight back,” the victim’s aunt, Cindy Witner, told Channel 11.
Gorring looked down during most of the victim’s testimony. He had no comment as officers escorted him out of the courtroom and into a vehicle, where he was returned to the Allegheny County Jail.
Gorring’s public defender had attempted to postpone the hearing and later asked the judge to drop the aggravated assault charges. Both requests were denied.
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