Second jury convicts man of molestation

EPHRATA —  A second jury convicted an Ephrata man of child molestation after a previous jury didn’t return a verdict.

A second jury took about 40 minutes to convict Brian D. Wenz, 45, of child molestation in the first degree and child molestation in the second degree for two incidents.

Prosecutors accused Wenz of molesting his 9- or 10-year-old niece and the 12-year-old daughter of a friend. The first occurred when Wenz was staying at his brother’s home in 2006. The second incident occurred in 2007 when Wenz was staying at a friend’s house.

Wenz told one of the victims it was a secret, but didn’t threaten her, according to police reports. Police were notified by the parents of the victims.

Prosecutor Angus Lee stated the standard prison range for the crime is five to seven years.

“This jury returned a guilty verdict in under an hour. Not every case is worth going to trial twice, but this one was,” he stated. “We have taken this case very seriously for a reason, and our sentencing recommendation will reflect that.”

Sentencing is scheduled for May 24.