Manheim Township man sentenced up to 85 years in prison after being found guilty of 1997 cold case sexual assault, possessing child pornography

A judge sentenced a Manheim Township man to 41 to 85 years in state prison today after a jury found him guilty earlier this year of sexually assaulting two young children in the late-1990s, then later of being found with hundreds of images of child pornography including pictures of him raping children after he was arrested.

In handing down the sentence, Judge Dennis Reinaker told Eric S. Dorwart, of the 500 block of Pleasure Road, that his behavior was “hard to understand,” especially in the context of his otherwise “exemplary life.”

The impact on Dorwart’s victims and their families, Judge Reinaker added, “is beyond comprehension.”

A jury had found Dorwart guilty of 16 total charges including rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child and aggravated indecent assault, among others, following a four-day trial in September. Dorwart, now 56, sexually assaulted a 7-year-old girl and 5-year-old boy outside their Leacock Township home in April 1997.

Decades would go by before police eventually identified Dorwart as the perpetrator, uncovering a trove of pornographic images of children on his electronic devices in the process. Some of those images depicted Dorwart himself sexually abusing young children.

Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick, who prosecuted the case, said the level to which Dorwart “broke” his victims and their families “is impossible to even imagine.” One of the victims’ mothers, Haverstick told the court, was in “such a state of emotional suffering” that she was unable to physically attend the sentencing.

Though many child abusers have been found guilty of similar crimes, few are “as vile, as wretched and as much of a stain on humanity” as Dorwart, said Haverstick.

“He is on a level onto his own,” Haverstick said.

And, Haverstick continued, Dorwart’s decision to take the case to trial despite overwhelming evidence including DNA evidence, photographs of Dorwart committing the crimes and his own admission of guilt to police shows that he remains “utterly without remorse.”

Speaking on Dorwart’s behalf was his mother, who described him as “a blessing” who helps others with “good deeds and kindness.”

Haverstick countered that anyone speaking positively of Dorwart’s character is “in denial,” noting that electronic evidence showed Dorwart was still viewing the more than 1,600 pornographic images of children on his electronic devices – including those depicting himself – up until the day he was arrested.

When given the opportunity to speak for himself Dorwart told the court he had “a lot to say” but declined further comment, saying that he wished he had spoken more at his trial.

“Justice demanded that the unimaginable depths of cruelty shown in this case be punished,” said District Attorney Heather Adams. “The horrifying assault of two small children more than 25 years ago led to the discovery of additional despicable and unspeakable acts. I sincerely hope that today’s sentence can bring a measure of peace and closure to the victims, who have been deeply affected by what occurred. I am also incredibly grateful for the work of our prosecution team led by Assistant District Attorney Haverstick as well as Pennsylvania State Police for their investigation and commitment to solving this case over the years. Today we are all safer because of their diligence.”

Both of the victims, now in their mid-30s, testified that Dorwart approached them the afternoon of April 4, 1997, and offered the girl money to perform sexual acts and then sexually assaulted her. Dorwart was a complete stranger to both of the victims.

After assaulting the girl Dorwart then assaulted the boy, they testified.

Though police immediately began searching for the perpetrator, initial leading suspects were ruled out through DNA testing and the case turned cold after several years of investigation. It would take another 26 years before investigators zeroed in on Dorwart as a person of interest.

DNA collected from abandoned trash outside of Dorwart’s residence in the 500 block of Pleasure Road was tested and produced a match to semen found on the children’s clothing. Police arrested Dorwart in August 2023.

Though Dorwart initially denied ever encountering the victims, he later admitted during an interview with Pennsylvania State Police that that he did encounter the children as he pulled over to urinate in the area and that he had sexual contact with them.

A search of Dorwart’s home following his arrest uncovered multiple electronics containing hundreds of images of child pornography, including depictions of nude infants and toddlers.

In total, more than 1,600 pornographic images of children were found on Dorwart’s cellphone and laptops. Of those images, 144 of them depicted Dorwart himself, with several of them showing him raping and engaging in sexual contact with three different pre-pubescent children in his bedroom, and another series of images depicted him performing sexual acts on an infant.

One image in particular depicted Dorwart in an unknown child’s room with his pants removed and smelling an unknown child’s shoes.

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Dakota Baer filed the charges.