Man accused of sex abuse, trafficking in Yates County is a convicted sex offender

PENN YAN, N.Y. – The man accused of raping and trafficking a child did so at times armed with a rifle and sometimes recorded the abuse.

That’s according to the indictment against Andrew Daugherty, 49.

The Yates County District Attorney’s Office alleges Daugherty started abusing the female victim when she were under the age of 13, beginning in 2017.

In 2019, Daugherty started prostituting the child using force and intimidation, according to the DA. Last October, he allegedly raped the victim while in possession of an unloaded .22.

He’s also accused of promoting a sexual performance of the girl.

Last fall, New York State Police started investigating Daugherty. Its officers worked with the Holly Hill Police Department of Florida, the Yates County District Attorney’s Office, the Yates County Department of Social Services, and the New York State Police Computer Crimes Unit.

Investigators say Daugherty did not act alone. He’s one of 18 charged in connection to the girl’s abuse. Five of those charged have pleaded guilty.

Daugherty spent five years on probation for a 2006 conviction in Elmira for sexually abusing a five-year-old boy. For that conviction, he was deemed a level 2 sex offender by the state.

News10NBC asked the Yates County District Attorney about that. DA Todd Casella said he can’t comment on cases he didn’t prosecute.

“In my 10 years as a prosecutor, I have not seen a case like this, and if it weren’t for the hard work of the police, and others mentioned, that would still be true. With the exception of those who plead guilty, all others are accused of the charged crimes and remain presumed innocent unless they or until are convicted,” Casella said.

The Bivona Child Advocacy Center works with victims of abuse. While it is not involved in this case, it is extending an offer to help. News10NBC talked to the CEO about her reaction to the case.

“More so we need to focus on the healing of the children who are impacted,” said Bivona Child Advocacy Center President/CEO Dr. Daniele Lyman-Torres. “The healing, their recovery is a very long time, a lifetime of recovery, but we can help children restore hope. We can help children restore their futures if we surround them and address the trauma.”

The abuse and trafficking is alleged to have occurred at various locations in Yates County and the Southern Tier.