A 62-year-old man was convicted on Wednesday of indecent assault and related charges for inappropriately touching an 11-year-old boy in Newtown Township in September 2021.
Jeffrey Todd Lukens, of Buckingham, had been working as a contractor at the boy’s home and was hired to remove bees from the basement. He inappropriately touched the boy while working on the project on Sept. 2, 2021, and again four days later when he returned to finish the job, the Bucks County District Attorney’s office reported.
On Wednesday, following a three-day trial, a Bucks County jury found him guilty on felony counts of indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old and unlawful contact with a minor, along with misdemeanor counts of corruption of minors, indecent assault, invasion of privacy, disorderly conduct and summary harassment.
Common Pleas Judge Raymond F. McHugh deferred sentencing for 30 days.
During closing arguments on Wednesday, Deputy District Attorney Sarah K. Heimbach urged the jury to convict Lukens.
“I don’t know if this family will ever get that sense of safety and security back,” Heimbach said. “Finding this defendant guilty is a start.”
While working on the project on Sept. 2, 2021, Lukens invited the boy to assist him and gave him a partial bee suit to wear to protect his face and upper body. The boy was on a ladder and using a reciprocating saw to remove the bee nest when Lukens inappropriately touched him and took his picture.
Lukens returned to the home on Sept. 6 to finish the project. Before he left, Lukens asked the boy if he could take a picture of his abdomen, lifting up his shirt without permission to snap a picture. The boy’s parents reported the incidents to the Newtown Township Police Department later that day.
During the investigation, police seized Lukens’ cellphone and uncovered deleted cellphone pictures of the boy.
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