A man from Pottstown is waiting for a judge to decide his punishment after confessing to having inappropriate contact with an 11-year-old boy who was with him in Pottstown and Collegeville.
Warren Mikaal McNeil, 22, from the 500 block of Grant Street, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to three misdemeanor counts of inappropriate assault and one misdemeanor count of influencing a young person in connection with events that occurred between December 2020 and January 2022.
Judge Steven T. O’Neill postponed sentencing so that McNeil can undergo a psychosexual evaluation.
McNeil also faces evaluation by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, which will determine if he meets state criteria to be categorized as a sexually violent predator. Those categorized as predators face stricter limitations during parole and probationary periods.
Regardless of the sentence that McNeil eventually receives, he will be required to report his address to state police for the rest of his life in order to comply with Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act, previously known as Megan’s Law.
McNeil is currently free on bail until his sentencing hearing later this year.
An investigation of McNeil began in January 2022 when a 12-year-old boy informed Pottstown police that McNeil had inappropriate contact with him on at least three occasions while he was with McNeil. Two incidents took place at a residence in Pottstown and one occurred during a party in Collegeville.
The initial incident occurred in Pottstown in December 2020 when the boy was 11 years old and McNeil was 18, according to court documents.
During all three incidents, McNeil touched the boy in an inappropriate manner.
“(The boy) said it was uncomfortable for him,” Pottstown Police Officer Adrian Stead wrote in the arrest affidavit.
The victim disclosed the inappropriate touching incidents to another person who then confronted McNeil about the allegations. During a text exchange about the allegations, McNeil allegedly wrote, “I deserve to be behind bars” and “Might call the cops on myself,” according to the criminal complaint.
When police interviewed McNeil in April 2022, he “freely admitted” to having inappropriate contact with the boy on three occasions, court documents indicate.
“Also, McNeil admitted he was aware of (the victim’s) age when the incidents took place,” Stead alleged.
Three counts of unlawful contact or communication with a minor are set to be dismissed against McNeil at time of sentencing.
