CLEARFIELD: In a local court proceeding held Monday, a Curwensville man formerly employed as a manager at a Clearfield business received a sentence after admitting guilt to charges linked to his conduct with a teenage worker. The hearing occurred during a Colloquy Court with Sentencing session at the Clearfield County Courthouse.

According to court records, 29-year-old Dakota Novak Pline entered guilty pleas to misdemeanor counts of corruption of minors and stalking, along with additional summary-level offenses. The court, presided over by President Judge Paul E. Cherry, ordered Pline to serve a term ranging from five months to one year in the county jail. Following his release, he will remain on two years of concurrent probation, as confirmed by a court employee.

Earlier filings in the case indicated that Pline originally faced more serious charges, including felonies for corruption of minors and unlawful contact with a minor involving sexual offenses, as well as related misdemeanor and summary violations. These initial offenses included indecent assault and sale of tobacco to a minor.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, the case began when a teenage employee at the business came forward to law enforcement, alleging that she had been subjected to repeated inappropriate physical contact by her manager. The teen, who had been working at the establishment for about a year, told investigators that Pline began his employment there roughly three to four months before the incidents began. About one month into his employment, she said, his behavior toward her became overtly inappropriate.

The complaint details that nearly every time they worked together, Pline would hug the teen. She reported that while she was completing her duties in the stock room—at one point washing dishes—he would approach her from behind and hug her in a way that allowed her to feel his erect penis pressed against her lower back. Despite telling him she did not want to be touched and did not appreciate the hugging, she said he ignored her discomfort and continued the same behavior.

The teen later filed a complaint with her company’s human resources department. For a brief period following her report, the unwanted physical contact stopped, but she stated that it eventually began again in similar fashion.

On October 16^th, the day she gave her detailed statement to police, the situation reportedly escalated. She said that Pline made an unsolicited comment about her buttocks and whistled as she walked away. The teen noted that it was the first time he had directed a verbal sexual remark toward her, which made her believe his comfort with the inappropriate conduct was growing and that further actions might occur if left unaddressed.

Investigators also learned that Pline had recently given the teen two nicotine vapes, and on earlier occasions had given her coffee and money. In the affidavit, officers noted that, based on their training and professional experience, such behavior is commonly recognized as grooming—a pattern of actions intended to manipulate and desensitize a young person in connection to or as a precursor for sexual misconduct.

When questioned by officers about the allegations, Pline stated that he “was simply trying to be nice.” He acknowledged that he had hugged the teen several times but denied making the comment about her body. He also insisted that he was not capable of whistling.

Ultimately, following the plea agreement and review by the court, Pline was sentenced to the custodial and probationary terms outlined above, closing a case that underscores the importance of workplace accountability and protection for young employees.