By Den McLaughlin

dmclaughlin@tnonline.com

A Bucks County man, ready to go on trial Feb.6 in Carbon County court on sexual-related offenses, instead entered into a plea deal with the district attorney’s office and pleaded guilty to a reduced charge. He also entered pleas in two other pending criminal cases and was then sentenced to a state prison term.

Christian Kipp, 36, of Quakertown, and formerly of Franklin Township, pleaded guilty to one count of endangering the welfare of a child, rated a misdemeanor 1. In exchange for the guilty plea, three counts of aggravated indecent assault, felony 1s, and three counts of indecent assault of a child, misdemeanors, and three summary harassment charges, were dropped.

A jury panel was picked Monday morning and testimony was scheduled to begin in the afternoon but the plea deal was then made.

He also pleaded to charges of simple assault in another case, with a count of retaliation against a witness or victim dropped. In a third case he pleaded guilty to false reports to law enforcement with a charge of unsworn falsification dropped.

The sexual assault and other cases took a long time making their way through the criminal justice system. There were at least 20 continuances filed in the matter not including bench warrants issued for Kipp when he failed to show for court scheduled hearings/motions.

He was charged with the sexual assault counts by Franklin Township police after they received information on Sept. 24, 2017, from the father of a girl who said she had been abused by Kipp on Sept. 21. The father also claimed that the assaults were occurring since she was 6 years old.

The girl was interviewed by police and the Children’s Advocacy Center in Scranton. She told of inappropriate contact by Kipp with her of a sexual nature. When originally interviewed, Kipp denied all the allegations.

The other set of charges were filed by Nesquehoning police with the false reports occurring on Nov. 25, 2019, and the simple assault on Nov. 28, 2019.

President Judge Roger N. Nanovic II, who was presiding over the trial, sentenced Kipp to serve 2½ to 5 years in a state correctional institution on the endangering charge; one to two years on the simple assault count; and 6 to 12 months on the false ID charge. All the terms running concurrent to each other.

In the sexual assault case he was ordered to submit to a sexual offenders evaluation, submit a DNA sample, pay court costs of over $1,000 and have no contact with the victim or her family.

In the simple assault and false ID cases he was ordered not to have contact with the victims.

He began the prison term immediately. He was given credit for 1,092 days already spent in jail on the charges. He disputed the total days credit. Nanovic ordered the probation office to investigate and if Kipp is entitled to more time his attorney, Gail N. Marr, can file a petition requesting a hearing on the matter. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Brian B. Gazo.