HOLLIDAYSBURG — An Altoona man accused of putting his fingers into a 14-year-old girl’s vagina was convicted Thursday of aggravated indecent assault and related charges that could lead to a state prison sentence.

Wayne K. Zachariah, 26, who has been free on bail that was posted shortly after his arrest in February 2023, was escorted Thursday to the Blair County Prison after President Judge Wade A. Kagarise increased Zachariah’s bail to $200,000 cash.

Kagarise’s action came at the end of Zachariah’s two-day jury trial, when Assistant District Attorney

Nicholas Mays asked for bail to be revoked and Assistant Public Defender John Siford objected.

Siford said there was no need for a change in bail because Zachariah has regularly reported to court while awaiting trial, has no prior criminal record and had no contact with the victim.

Mays told Kagarise that Zachariah’s convictions on four felony offenses — two counts of aggravated assault, one count of unlawful contact with a minor/sexual offenses and one count of corruption of minors — expose him to the possibility of a state prison sentence.

“Yes he’s been convicted, but the sentence is up to the court,” Siford countered.

Zachariah was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom as his family members began vocally condemning the verdicts and the victim.

The victim, now 17, cried as she left the courtroom. Emotional at times when she testified, she admitted that when she was 14, she had a crush on the 24-year-old Zachariah. And prior to the assaults, she admitted to sending him a suggestive picture after he reached out to her via Snapchat.

In his opening statement, Mays told the jurors that whether or not a 14-year-old victim agreed to or allowed these acts to happen, consent would not be a defense.

“This grown man found out that a child had a crush on him, so he decided to take advantage of that,” Mays said.

The teenager testified that the assaults happened during a November 2022 weekend, when she and Zachariah were at her cousin’s apartment on the 400 block of Crawford Avenue.

She said Zachariah initially asked if he could touch her and put his fingers into her vagina. She said that happened four or five more times before she pulled away.

Siford asked the jury to find reasonable doubt within the victim’s testimony and claims.

“Anyone can be accused of a crime … and end up sitting at the defense table,” he told the jurors in his opening.

After announcement of the verdicts, Siford asked Kagarise to poll the jury for agreement or disagreement with the decisions. Each of the 12 jurors stated: “I agree.”

Kagarise scheduled Zachariah’s sentencing for May 1.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.