Man won’t plead guilty because of camera in court

A man accused of rape who had skipped court decided not to plead guilty Thursday after he saw NewsChannel 13’s camera in the courtroom.

Siatar K. Creech, 36, formerly of Northumberland, allegedly had sex with a child under the age of 17 multiple times in the town of Moreau in July 2022.

Prosecutors were offering Creech a deal to plead guilty to use of a child in a sexual performance and third-degree rape. In exchange, he would receive a maximum of 6 years in prison. 

Assistant Public Defender John Leggett said that it was his intention to accept the deal, but Creech was uncomfortable.

“We were unaware that there was going to be news coverage of this today. It seems to be an impediment to his taking a plea today,” he said.

Judge Jim Murphy rescheduled the case for Friday, July 26 at 9:30 a.m. 

Creech did not show up for court last October. He was caught in South Carolina in June.