According to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office Chief…

According to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Derrick O'Meara, who is the Director of the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center, a Town of Vienna man has been arrested for having sexual contact with an underage female child.

The investigation began on July 21, 2022, when the Child Advocacy Center was notified that an adult male had subjected a female child under the age of 13 to sexual contact. The case was assigned to Sheriff’s Investigator Mark R. Chrysler.

Investigator Chrysler’s investigation revealed that 40-year-old Jeremy R. Belden had subjected the child to sexual contact earlier in the week.

In the early morning hours of July 22, 2022, Investigator Chrysler, who was assisted by the Sheriff’s Sgt. Melissa Bolton and Road Patrol Deputy Colin McDaniels, arrested Belden at his residence in the Town of Vienna.

After the arrest, Belden was transported to the Sheriff’s Office where he was processed and charged with one count of Sexual Abuse in the 1st Degree, a Class D Felony.

Belden was arraigned in Utica City Court and was remanded to the Oneida County Correctional Facility on $15,000 bail.

Services have been offered to the victim and an order of protection was issued on behalf of the child.