Authorities with the Greenfield Township police department say a Blair County man is behind bars after he was accused of stalking and sexually assaulting a teenage girl on Christmas Eve.
According to the affidavit, police were dispatched Sunday afternoon after receiving a report of a runaway teen.
Police say when they responded to the address, the teen, age 15, claimed that she had been raped by a man, later identified as 32-year-old Keith Morse, of Claysburg.
Investigators say the teen later told officers that she had been dropped off to visit relatives and was “grabbed” by Morse and “forced” into his apartment.
Police say Morse then allegedly began assaulting her, both physically and sexually, and forced her to perform sexual acts.
Authorities say when they asked the teen how long the assault reportedly lasted, she responded, “it felt like forever.”
Police say that once the alleged assault ended, the teen told officers that she quickly left Morse’s apartment and ran to her relatives’ apartment where she told them what had happened.
Investigators say the teen stated that she “knew of Morse” but did not know him personally and claimed that she felt as if he had been “stalking her.”
Police say when they questioned Morse about the alleged assault, he claimed that the teen had showed up at his apartment to “hangout” and decorate for the holiday.
Authorities say Morse claimed that after the two finished decorating, they engaged in consensual sexual intercourse.
Morse also claimed that the teen had told him that she was in her 20s, according to the affidavit.
Police say Morse allegedly admitted that he had never “directly” talked to the teen prior to the day of the alleged assault.
According to online court records, Morse was arraigned Tuesday on a variety of charges, including aggravated indecent assault, rape, statutory sexual assault and unlawful restraint.
He is being held in the Blair County Prison on $150,000 bail.