Man charged with sex abuse held without bail

HAGERSTOWN — A Williamsport man with convictions in Maryland and Pennsylvania for sexually assaulting boys has been accused of sexually molesting another child, according to Washington County District Court records.

David Shawn Ardinger, 46, of 11310 Sword Road is charged with 48 counts, including a dozen each of sex abuse of a minor, third-degree sex offense, fourth-degree sex offense and second-degree assault, the court records said.

He appeared Tuesday in District Court via closed-circuit television from the Washington County Detention Center for a bond review hearing, during which Judge Mark D. Thomas ordered him held without bail.

In 2005, Ardinger, a former correctional officer, was convicted by a jury of third-degree sex offense in Washington County Circuit Court of molesting a 10-year-old boy in 2002 and was sentenced to five years in prison. Later that year, he pleaded no contest to indecent assault in Franklin County (Pa.) Court of Common Pleas for molesting an 11-year-old boy and was sentenced to 11 1/2 months to 23 months.

At the time of his Franklin County sentencing, Ardinger had already served more time awaiting trial than the sentence he received.

On Friday, a woman contacted Maryland State Police to report alleged sexual contact between her 6-year-old grandson and a man she identified as Ardinger, according to the application for statement of charges. State police asked the Washington County Sheriff’s Office to conduct the investigation, the charging documents said.

The boy, who was interviewed Saturday at Child Protective Services, alleged that Ardinger had touched him sexually on several occasions when he and his younger brother spent the night at Ardinger’s house over the summer, the  documents said.

The grandmother told investigators that the boys’ parents, who are now  incarcerated, often stayed at Ardinger’s home, the documents said. The boys would sleep in Ardinger’s bed while Ardinger slept on the floor, the documents said.

The boys’ grandparents were able to provide a dozen dates between June and August when the boys stayed at Ardinger’s home, the documents said.

Ardinger is a registered sex offender in both Maryland and Pennsylvania.