A New Castle man is facing up to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday, May 23, to sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl in Butler in July 2021.

Mark Edward Olinger Jr., 34, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child in a plea agreement in which he will be sentenced to serve six to 13 years in prison.

He entered his plea in a hearing before Common Pleas Court Judge Kelley Streib. She did not schedule sentencing to allow for time for Olinger to undergo a sexually violent predator evaluation under Megan’s Law.

A conviction of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child requires a lifetime registration with state police as a tier 3 offender under the law.

City police charged Olinger with five felonies following a July 9 incident in an apartment.

The girl’s mother told police she believed she caught Olinger in the act of assaulting her daughter and he then fled the scene.

Police said Olinger later showed up at the police station asking if they were looking for him. Police said Olinger, who had been watching the child, claimed he was disciplining her. He told police he was spanking her bare backside when his pants fell down because they didn’t have a drawstring, according to documents.