Joshua McCarty, 30, of Schenectady, was found guilty after a jury trial in Schenectady County Court on November 18, 2021 of Predatory Sexual Assault Against a Child and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Defendant will be sentenced in Schenectady County Court on February 23, 2021. The case was tried by Christina Tremante-Pelham and Daniel Lennon on behalf of the Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office. Trevor Hannigan represented the defendant. The trial was held before the Honorable Mark Caruso. McCarty was found guilty of engaging in sexual conduct, including oral sexual conduct, with a female child between December of 2017 and June of 2019, when the child was between the age of 4 and 6 years old. The child was known to him. The investigation began when the child came forward and disclosed the sexual abuse by McCarty. In a statement made to Det. Matthew Thorne of the Schenectady Police Department Youth Aid Bureau, McCarty admitted to three acts of sexual contact with the child including one act of oral sexual conduct during that time.
District Attorney Robert M. Carney stated, "This outcome was only possible because of the combined efforts of many people, including Schenectady Police Investigator Matthew Thorne who conducted a skilled and thorough interview of Mr. McCarty, Albany Medical Center Nurse Kim Houlihan who examined this child and reported what the child said to her and collected key evidence, our trial team led by Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Christina Tremante-Pelham, and ultimately and most important a very brave child who told the jury what happened to her. These cases are very difficult and we often offer some leniency to these defendants in order to spare a child having to testify. We did so in this case as well. The flip side of that coin is that when a defendant exercises his right to a trial, knowing the evidence against him including in this case his prior admissions to police, after conviction he should have no expectation of leniency for his despicable crimes.” For further information contact ADA Christina Tremante-Pelham at 518-542-8195.