A Latrobe man was ordered to serve at least four months in jail for the sexual assault of a teenager in a wooded area near a public park nearly four years ago.

Malachi J. Boone, 23, pleaded guilty in March to lesser charges in connection with allegations made by a 14-year-old girl.

As part of a deal with prosecutors, Boone pleaded guilty to one felony count of statutory sexual assault. More serious counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and other related offenses were dismissed.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger late last week imposed what he said was a mitigated sentence that requires Boone to serve up to 23 months in jail. Boone, who since October 2022 has been free on $50,000 bail, was given credit for 72 days he served in jail since his arrest.

He was ordered to begin serving the remaining weeks on his jail sentence Monday and will be eligible for parole in less than two months.

According to court records, Boone’s accuser told police she first made contact with him through social media, initially believed him to be 15 and agreed to meet him in person in July 2022 at St. Clair Street park in Latrobe.

She told police that when she arrived at the park, the person she agreed to meet appeared much older than he had claimed.

She alleged Boone, whom she never identified by name, sexually assaulted her on a blanket he brought to the meeting and stopped only when he heard a person nearby.

According to court records, police identified Boone after reviewing video from nearby surveillance cameras that showed a man matching his description riding a black and yellow bicycle to and from the park at times that matched the allegations.

That same afternoon, police said they responded to Lloyd Avenue after Boone reported being chased on his bicycle by two people in a vehicle.

Authorities identified Boone as a suspect based on his appearance and clothing captured on police body camera footage from the chase incident, according to court records.

Prosecutors said a witness who lived near the park identified Boone from a photo lineup as the man he saw with the victim.

Police said Boone initially denied being in the park.