By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG
QUEENSBURY — A local woman has been indicted in Warren County for allegedly having sex with an underage teenage boy.
Joey Strong was arrested earlier this year after authorities learned that the 35-year-old AuSable Forks woman had allegedly provided alcohol to and had sex with a 16-year-old boy.
Authorities believe the alleged encounter happened on at least one occasion while the pair were together in a Queensbury-area hotel in late March.
Police believe Strong provided the boy, along with several other minors, with beer during their overnight stay.
Late last week, a Warren County grand jury lodged both felony and misdemeanor charges against Strong.
Court clerks said the three-count indictment contains the original charges of third-degree rape, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawfully dealing with a child and no additional charges.
Strong appeared in Warren County Court Wednesday morning and again pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
The court did not set a return date for her case and granted 30 days for motions to be filed.
Strong, who is said to have met the teen through relatives, has remained free from custody since her arrest and must now abide by a number of conditions, including a curfew and avoiding contact with the alleged victim.
She must also undergo drug and alcohol testing.
At the time of her late April arrest, authorities said the rape charge was lodged because of the boy’s age, not because it was an alleged forced act.
Strong is well-known within the AuSable community after having volunteered several years as the girls basketball coach for Holy Name School, a Catholic elementary school.
She has not publicly commented on the case and could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.
E-mail Andrea VanValkenburg at:
avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com
