A New Kensington man already in jail waived his preliminary hearing Thursday on charges stemming from an incident where, authorities say, he assaulted and fathered a child with a teenager.
Burnell Johnson, 27, waived for court charges of statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and indecent assault of a person younger than 16 before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr., according to online court records.
Johnson’s public defender, Antonio Regoli, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
A formal arraignment on the charges is scheduled for April 1 before Judge Christopher A. Feliciani at the Westmoreland County Courthouse.
Johnson has been in the Westmoreland County jail since Dec. 31, 2024 after surrendering to New Kensington police following a standoff the night before.
At the time, police said Johnson had two loaded guns and may have attempted to blow up the house. He was charged with risking a catastrophe and prohibited possession of a firearm; that case is ongoing.
Johnson was also wanted on aggravated assault charges from October 2024 stemming from an incident where, police said, he beat and pistol whipped a woman in the Mt. Washington section of Pittsburgh.
The latest sexual assault charges were filed when an Arnold girl told police Johnson had repeatedly assaulted her throughout December 2024 when she was 15 years old.
The teenager gave birth to a baby last summer, according to a criminal complaint filed against Johnson. Johnson continued to assault the girl throughout December until his arrest from the SWAT incident, the complaint said.