A Northumberland County man was sentenced to four to 13 years in state prison after he pleaded guilty this week to sexually abusing a teenage girl in a Lancaster Township home for two years.

Judge Thomas Sponaugle sentenced Brett Michael Bair, of Coal Township, after he pleaded guilty Sept. 8 to one count each of aggravated indecent assault, unlawful contact with a minor, endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, terroristic threats, simple assault and indecent assault.

The victim’s mother told the court that Bair was physically, verbally and mentally abusive to herself, the victim and others, saying in a written statement that he often called the victim derogatory names and at times physically restrained her. 

“The harm he caused is beyond comprehension,” the victim’s mother wrote.

As she was reading the statement the victim’s mother was so overcome by emotion that she was unable to finish and left the courtroom. Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick, who prosecuted the case, read the remainder of her statement. 

Though the victim herself did not wish to address the court, she asked Haverstick to convey that she forgave Bair for his actions.

Sponaugle described Bair’s actions as “disgusting behavior.”

Bair, 38, abused the victim at a Lancaster Township residence between September 2021 and September 2023. Bair was living at the victim’s residence at the time.

The now-16-year-old victim told police in 2025 that the number of incidents when Bair sexually abused her were “too many to count,” estimating that the abuse occurred at least once a week when no one else was home.

After one particular incident Bair warned the victim that if she ever told anyone about the sexual abuse that he would kill her family, she said. 

On another occasion Bair grabbed the victim by both shoulders and threw her down onto a couch, she said. At least one other person witnessed the physical assault. 

Two eyewitnesses told police they recalled separate incidents where they found Bair in the victim’s bed.

As part of his sentence Bair must register as a sex offender for life and is to have no contact with the victim or her family.

Lancaster Township police Det. Josh Whitside filed the charges.