Timothy Darren Stroud Sr., of Muncy, was found guilty on 39 separate sex assault charges following a two-day trial in the courtroom of Lycoming County President Judge Eric Linhardt Wednesday evening.

An investigation stemming from a phone tip police received in December 2022 resulted in Stroud, 57, being charged with more than 1,000 sex offenses against five minor victims, whose ages ranged from 4 to 17 years old when the abuse occurred during a period ranging from 1992 to 2018.

All five victims testified on the first day of the trial, with two of them traveling from out of state to do so.

Several of the counts were consolidated, resulting in the 39 guilty verdicts, Deputy District Attorney Phoebe Yates explained, while stressing that that consolidation does not lessen the severity or number of acts carried out by Stroud.

Among those the jury of seven men and five women found Stroud guilty of were multiple counts each of rape of a person less than 13-years-old, rape by forcible compulsion, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a person less than 13-years-old, unlawful contact with a minor, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, corruption of minors, endangering the welfare of children and indecent exposure.

Sobs were heard from the victims in attendance as each individual count and verdict was read aloud by the jury foreman.

In a surprise move, Stroud took the stand in an effort to fend off the charges, which defense attorney Tyler Calkins said was the only option when facing such “heinous offenses.”

“When that happens, your life is over, its done for. You get judged by the court of public opinion and the peanut gallery,” he said.

“But you are not the peanut gallery, you are an empanelled jury, tasked with finding the truth in this case,” Calkins said, stressing that the burden of truth must be based beyond a reasonable doubt, a level not met by the prosecution, he urged.

“If you believe the testimony, Mr. Stroud created an environment of nonstop debauchery. Yet, with several overlapping victims, no one knew anything was going on. No one said anything, and there were signs of any abuse,” Calkins said, also stressing that no physical evidence existed in the case.

The original tip was made by a scorned woman, who, after going through a nasty divorce, was furious when her alimony payments were cut off, the defense attorney argued.

While expressing his support for police, Calkins simultaneously called into question their method of “cold calling” alleged victims in reference to allegations currently under investigation.

“None of them called authorities on their own. The police contacted them to ask if they had ever been touched inappropriately. Its ridiculous and suggests an answer they’re looking to get,” he said.

He also called their investigation methods into question, implying that police never confirmed if Stroud owned a camper or boat, where some of the assaults took place.

“They never talked to anyone that frequented the riverlot or hunting camps. They never talked to any of the neighbors or parents of neighborhood kids,” Calkins said.

Calkins also attacked the credibility of the witnesses pointing out discrepancies in their descriptions of Stroud’s anatomy, suggesting that the youngest victim had been told what to say and drawing attention to memory gaps among some of the victims.

“Notice how difficult it was for them to remember the details. If this was happening on a regular basis, these details would be easy for them to recall,” he told the jury.

Returning to Stroud’s testimony, Calkins said he was open about his shortcomings.

“He was a flawed father that did the best he could,” he said, labeling his ex-wife and victims as “vindictive.”

During a recorded phone call between Stroud and one of the victims, Stroud made no admission of inappropriate behavior, Calkins said.

“These are serious charges. Look closely at evidence and the conduct of the alleged victims and my client,” he urged the jury.

“People have their own motives and there’s no telling what they will do when deep resentment exists,” he said.

In her closing, Yates addressed Calkins’ assertions head on.

“The defendant assaulted five children and the evidence proves that,” she said.

“If you believe the testimony presented, you must find him guilty. That is all you need” Yates said.

“I’m not going to stand here and tell you that we have physical evidence in this case, we simply don’t,” Yates told the jury.

“Even if the abuse had been reported in a timely manner, there would be no physical evidence. It just doesn’t exist in many cases like this,” she stressed.

While acknowledging that Stroud’s ex-wife likely downplayed her role during the time, Yates stressed that her reason for making the call likely did not have to do with alomony, as she was seeking to remarry.

“Frankly, I don’t care why she made that call, I’m just glad she did, regardless of her motive” the ADA said.

“But you saw her on the witness stand, she’s not capable of orchestrating something like this,” she added.

The testimony of the victims themselves was incredibly impactful, Yates said.

Despite the undue shame and embarrassment that victims of such abuse experience, they came in and testified to the egregious acts carried out against them in front of friends, family and strangers, she stressed.

Many of the victims were emotionally distraught as they attempted to describe what they had experienced, and the belief that no one would believe them had they come forward at the time of the assaults, Yates reminded the jury.

“One victim had tears running down her face as she recounted the things the defendant did to her in multiple locations, one of them being a boat in the middle of the river, where she had no hope of escape,” she said.

Two male victims testified about Stroud’s abuse despite the stigma that often surrounds male victims of sexual assault by male perpetrators, Yates said.

One of those victims did not come forward until the investigation due to the fear of being labeled a homosexual, Yates said.

The mere fact that none of the victims reported their individual incidents only strengthened the prosecution case, Yates stressed.

“All of the victim’s stories line up despite never having spoken to each other about their abuse prior to individually speaking with police,” she said.

“Something that’s really important in this case is the consistency of the reports,” Yates said.

“The defendant certainly has an M.O.,” recalling how each of the victims recounted Stroud’s abuse beginning slowly as he worked to normalize each subsequent escalation.

“None of them had anything to gain by speaking about these embarrassing acts in front of 14-plus strangers,” she said.

Though he did not expressly take responsibility for the abuse during the recorded phone call, Stroud also did not deny the allegations, she added.

Stroud’s own testimony was not credible, Yates argued.

“To listen to him, he was father of the year,” she said, calling the labeling of the allegation a conspiracy over money “wild.”

But Yates concurred with Calkins that the evidence presented was beyond a reasonable doubt, just not in Stroud’s favor.

“There is no reasonable alternative as to why five individuals with such similar stories would come forward and testify in this manner. To suggest otherwise is, frankly, crazy” she said.

Stroud is currently jailed at the Lycoming County Prison, and is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 21.

Stroud still faces one count of rape by forcible compulsion, two counts each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a person less than 16-years-old, aggravated indecent assault of a person less than 16-years-old, statutory sexual assault, indecent assault of a person less than 16-years-old, corruption Of minors, and five counts of indecent exposure, as well as 46 counts of criminal attempt – child pornography, six counts of child pornography, and one count of criminal use of communication facility in two separate pending cases.