Allegheny County Police say a Blawnox man sexually abused a teenager two years ago, with some of the alleged assaults occurring at hotels in Harmar and Frazer.
Blawnox police responded July 9 to a reported domestic dispute on Summit Street. There, a teen told police they were sexually assaulted by James W. Muir, 58, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case.
The teenager described physical sexual abuse happening in 2022, the complaint said. Muir would provide the teen with vapes and alcohol in exchange for sex acts, the complaint said.
Muir would record the acts on his phone, the teen told police. The teen also accused Muir of taking them to area hotels in Harmar and Frazer for sex.
Police searched Muir’s phone later that month and found images of the teen naked and videos of them engaging in sex in 2022. Detectives also say they observed an inappropriate photo Muir sent to the teen’s phone in 2022. They also say Muir sent videos and images of the acts to someone else, the complaint said.
Muir faces 26 charges including statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual abuse of children, possession of child pornography, unlawful contact with a minor, sexual assault, endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, dissemination to minors, criminal use of communication facility and indecent assault.
Muir was denied bond and is being held in Allegheny County Jail.
An attorney representing Muir did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Muir’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 14, in District Judge Matt Rudzki’s courtroom in Sharpsburg.
Kellen Stepler is a TribLive reporter covering the Allegheny Valley and Burrell school districts and surrounding areas. He joined the Trib in April 2023. He can be reached at kstepler@triblive.com.