A Penn Forest Township man has been charged with the indecent assault of a young girl.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by state Trooper Gabrielle Van Wie of the Fern Ridge barracks in the case against Richard Morrison:

At around 8:33 a.m. June 22, Van Wie was assigned to a ChildLine report.

The correspondence stated that a 12-year-old girl reported that Morrison, 58, of Albrightsville, touched her inappropriately.

At 11 a.m. July 3, the girl was interviewed by a Forensic Interviewer at the Allentown Children’s Advocacy Center.

The girl told authorities that Morrison touched her inappropriately.

The girl told police that the incident happened when she was in fifth grade.

Investigators called Morrison and told him that he was named in a ChildLine report,

On Aug. 9, Van Wie was contacted by the girl’s stepfather, who said that Morrison attempted to contact his wife about 15 minutes before he contacted Van Wie, and that after Morrison attempted to contact her by telephone, Morrison’s sister tried to contact her by telephone.

Morrison refused to go to the Fern Ridge barracks on Aug. 13 to be interviewed, according to police.

Morrison is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing Sept. 20 before District Judge Eric M. Schrantz of Jim Thorpe.