A Riverside man was found guilty of sexual abuse by a jury trial last week.
Washington County Attorney John Gish states that 33-year-old Andrew Swailes is guilty of third degree sex abuse, a class C felony, for an April 30, 2020 incident. The child victim alleged they were sexually abused by Swailes, after he provided the child so much alcohol they became drunk. At trial, Swailes claimed the child came onto him and that he stopped the child’s advances. Gish thanked the jury for their thoughtfulness, courage, and willingness to do justice, and that they did not buy the victim-blaming defense. Gish says the verdict was the result of a team effort with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Investigator and the victim’s advocate from the Rape Victim Advocacy Program. Swailes’ sentencing is scheduled for January 14th.