LYNDONVILLE - Benjamin Weisinger was arraigned in a recent sexual assault case in the St. Johnsbury/Lyndonville area. This is the third sexual assault case in the area over the past two months.

Weisinger was arraigned on November 7^th on charges of lewd and lascivious conduct with minor (among other charges).

Earlier last month 19-year-old Zachary Blair was also cited for engaging in lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor. He was cited for engaging in inappropriate touching with a 13-year-old girl at the Cobleigh Public Library.

With sexual assault crimes rising to the surface, Rachel Gartner of Prevent Child Abuse Vermont gave an inside look on how to handle and prevent incidents like these.

Gartner spoke about several warning signs. These signs include, but are not limited to, abrupt changes in behavior or social groups, significantly older or younger friends, and any unexplained gifts the child may have received.

She also explained the "grooming process" an abuser uses on their victim.

She explained that first; the abuser makes the victim comfortable with them. They then aim to make the victim's family comfortable with them. This creates an overall trusting environment between the victim's family and their abuser.

"It's really important for adults to think about the ways that they can intervene early, so that you're not only responding to abuse once it has happened, but stopped abuse before it starts," Gartner explained.

Gartner also explained the difficulty a victim and their family has when they finally make an allegation against the abuser.

"People say, oh, this allegation could be false... we know that it's very challenging for people to come forward with this type of information. It's extremely underreported, so when people do come forward, it should be taken very seriously," Gartner said.

For more information about child abuse prevention, facts, and more please visit Prevent Child Abuse Vermont's website.