A 36-year-old Aldan man already awaiting trial on child sex abuse charges is now facing a new and more serious set of charges, including multiple counts of child rape, after the alleged victim gave investigators additional details about the abuse while preparing to testify. Lionel J. McIntire, who lived in the 400 block of East Providence Road, was charged with child rape, aggravated indecent assault of a child under 13, endangering the welfare of a child and related offenses.
According to the Delco Times, the criminal complaint alleges the abuse occurred when the child was 6 years old and happened more than once. McIntire had already been arrested in April 2025 on the child's original disclosure and was preparing for trial on charges of unlawful contact with a minor and indecent assault of a person less than 13 when the new charges were added.
A Report That Began in Chester
The case traces back to November 2023, when a woman made a ChildLine report after her 12-year-old child said her mother's ex-boyfriend had molested her while the family lived in Chester, the outlet reports. Three days later, a Delaware County Children Youth Service worker conducted a minimal-fact interview with the child, during which she indicated through head nods that the man had touched her inappropriately and touched her private parts, per the criminal complaint.
A forensic interview conducted two months later provided more detail. The child identified the alleged perpetrator as Lionel, her brother's father, saying he had lived with the family before her brother was born. She told investigators the abuse happened more than once, including times when her mother was working an overnight shift at Walmart and once when her mother was away on a trip, according to the same account. She described one incident in which Lionel allegedly pulled her into a bathroom, blindfolded her with a long sock, and touched her chest and private parts, and she estimated the abuse happened around 10 times.
Doctor's Visit and a Classmate's Account
In June 2024, Chester police asked the Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division to take over the case. That October, the child disclosed the abuse again, this time to a doctor during an examination, telling the physician, “he was touching my butt with his private part, and it hurt,” per the criminal complaint. A classmate separately told investigators the child had said her stepdad touched her inappropriately, though the classmate said the girl later claimed she had been joking.
New Details Surface Ahead of Trial
The case took its latest turn on September 23, 2025, when James Simpkins met with the victim to help prepare her for trial. During that meeting, the child, upset and crying, provided additional details describing three separate sexual assaults, according to the criminal complaint. Following those details, the Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division added rape-of-a-child charges.
McIntire had been free on bail set at 10 percent of $50,000 before the new charges were filed. After his arraignment on the additional counts, District Judge Michael F. Culp set bail at 10 percent of $250,000, which McIntire posted, according to the Delco Times report. A preliminary hearing on the new charges is scheduled for November 19 before District Judge Andrew Goldberg.
Defense Pushes Back on Timing
McIntire's attorney, Robert C. Keller, said he found the way the new charges were filed and the steep bail increase disturbing, given how close the case was to trial. “Luckily, the family was able to come up with the funds,” Keller said. “It was really disturbing, the whole change of events and we will vigorously defend him in this case.”
Under Pennsylvania law, rape of a child is classified as a first-degree felony when a person engages in sexual intercourse with a complainant under 13, according to Title 18, Section 3121 of the Pennsylvania General Assembly's statutes. A conviction under that subsection carries a maximum prison term of up to 40 years, the statute states.
Quamir Z. Thorpe was charged with rape and other sexual assaults involving a teen. In McIntire’s case, the outcome of the November 19 hearing remains to be seen.
