MERCER COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Mercer County man is facing felony charges after deputies say an investigation and forensic testing linked him to a reported sexual assault involving a woman with documented intellectual disabilities.
According to the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department, deputies first responded to a home on Trove Place in Princeton on June 20, 2025, for an indecent exposure complaint after 911 callers reported a man and woman engaged in sexual activity in a front yard.
Deputies said they arrived to find the pair — identified as Charles Keffer and Alexis Anderson — together near a trailer. A neighbor later provided deputies with brief video clips that appeared to show sexual activity taking place in the yard, investigators said.
During the response, Anderson’s mother arrived and informed deputies that she is Anderson’s legal guardian and that Anderson has autism and an intellectual disability, supported by court documentation, according to the report. Anderson was transported to the hospital, where a sexual assault examination was performed.
Detectives later reviewed forensic lab results from the evidence kit, which indicated the presence of male DNA on multiple samples collected from Anderson. A court-authorized DNA swab was later obtained from Keffer, and state police lab analysts determined that DNA from several swabs was consistent with Keffer’s profile, investigators said.
Because of Anderson’s documented incapacity and longstanding acquaintance with Keffer, detectives wrote that they believe he was aware of her limitations at the time of the alleged conduct.
A forensic interview with Anderson was also conducted in October 2025 due to her cognitive condition. Investigators said Anderson disclosed that she was sexually assaulted and identified Keffer as the person involved.
Following the lab findings and interview, detectives requested warrants charging Charles Leslie Keffer with sexual abuse in the second degree and sexual assault in the third degree.
The case remains under investigation, and Keffer will face the charges through the court system.
