'Totally wrong:' Altoona man accused of sexually abusing relative for years, police say

BLAIR COUNTY, Pa (WJAC) — Authorities in Blair County say an Altoona man is behind bars following an investigation into accusations that he repeatedly sexually abused one of his relatives.

Police say on Feb. 19, the victim, now age 18, reported that he had been repeatedly assaulted by 49-year-old James Kennedy.

According to the affidavit, police say the victim disclosed that the alleged abuse began when he was 8 or 9 years old.

Police say Kennedy is accused of bribing the victim with money and/or gifts in exchange for performing sexual acts.

Authorities added that the victim told police that he began smoking marijuana in order to "distract himself" from the alleged assaults.

Upon further investigation, police say the victim's family reportedly confronted Kennedy about the alleged abuse, at which time Kennedy allegedly did not deny the allegations and stated that he "planned to move away."

Police say investigators also learned of a letter in which Kennedy reportedly "professed his guilt" for the abuse.

"There are no words I can say to you. What I did was totally wrong. I deserve to be treated as a piece of trash," the letter said in part, according to the complaint.

Police say when they questioned Kennedy about the allegations, he initially "confessed" to the abuse while remaining vague on the details of the alleged assaults.

Authorities noted, however, that on multiple occasions, Kennedy reportedly blamed the victim and claimed that the assaults were a "consensual agreement" between them.

Police also say that Kennedy admitted that "what he did was wrong."

According to online court records, Kennedy was arraigned over the weekend on various charges, including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, incest of a minor and corruption of minors.

He is being held at the Blair County Prison on $150,000 bail.

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