Nicholas Fountain (Credit: Montco DA)
A Montgomery County daycare owner and Skippack Township supervisor awaiting extradition Monday morning to Maryland to face charges by the Harford County sheriff of one felony count each of sexual solicitation of a minor and solicitation of child pornography was arraigned Sunday night on 57 child sexual abuse-related charges that occurred in 2016, filed by Pennsylvania State Police.
Nicholas A. Fountain, 38, was charged Sunday and arraigned before on-call Magisterial District Judge Dara Nasatir on the following 32 felony and 25 misdemeanor charges, all with offense dates of Jan. 1, 2016 in Skippack Township, according to the criminal docket:
Fountain was denied bail and remains in custody at Montgomery County jail. A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 15 at 11:15 a.m. before Magisterial District Judge Adam T. Katzman, according to court records.
"There are no set of conditions which would allow defendant's release and ensure community safety," stated the criminal docket.
According to the criminal complaint, on Sept. 24, state police began an investigation into alleged sex offenses that occurred at Fountain’s home. On that date, the victim came to police barracks in Skippack Township to report sexual assault over the course of at least seven years by Fountain, beginning when the victim was nine, police alleged.
The affidavit described how Fountain allegedly wrestled shirtless with the victim, which led to unwanted touching and groping of the genitals and several incidents of sexual intercourse.
On Sunday afternoon, Fountain was interviewed by police at Montgomery County jail, including detectives with Douglass Township and Montgomery County. Fountain allegedly admitted to touching the victim, performing sexual activities on them on multiple occasions, and admitted the last time it occurred was when the victim was 15.
An extradition hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Monday before Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Risa Vetri Ferman on the Maryland offenses, according to court records.
Fountain is accused of soliciting a 14-year-old boy for sex in Harford County, MD, authorities said. Fountain was charged after a 3-day undercover investigation, authorities told the press, involving detectives posing as a teen on a Reddit chat titled "Boys ask dads."
According to police and reports, Fountain identified himself as "Nick" and sent explicit photos of himself on a gray-colored couch with a cream and gray-striped pillow. Investigators checked Fountain's social media activity once they had a lead, and allegedly found a photo from Christmas morning showing the same couch and pillow.
Fountain is a married father of two sons and stepfather of one.
He opened the Magnolia Enrichment Center in Skippack in June 2020 and the Magnolia Children's Academy in Gilbertsville in August 2021. Parents and guardians affiliated with the schools were informed that Fountain would no longer be a part of either Magnolia center and both facilities are currently closed.
According to court records, Fountain was arrested prior to requisition on Sept. 24. According to Pennsylvania law, if you are charged with a crime in another state, (in this case, Maryland,) before a formal extradition request, known as a "requisition," is received, a Pennsylvania judge can issue an arrest warrant for a person accused of a crime in another state, based on a complaint and sworn affidavit, to prevent their further flight and hold them for extradition proceedings.
Because Maryland has charged Fountain with a serious crime, Pennsylvania law requires that he can be held here, at Montgomery County, Pa. jail, and handed back over to Maryland. Since he is already in custody in Montgomery County, he is not going anywhere until Maryland’s extradition request is processed, according to court records.
Fountain, whose father, Don Fountain, is a Perkiomen Valley School Board member currently seeking re-election, was first elected to the Skippack supervisors in 2013 on the Republican ticket and was re-elected to his at-large term in November 2023.
His peers on the board of supervisors called for his resignation last week, if the allegations were true.
Fountain, a graduate of Perkiomen Valley High School and a Temple University elementary education graduate, ran unsuccessfully for state senate in Bob Mensch’s seat in the 24th Senatorial District in 2022.
Per his LinkedIn profile, Fountain had also been a junior kindergarten teacher at The Goddard School in Skippack from 2007 to 2020.
According to his old campaign website, Fountain, during his time on the supervisors, voted to cut taxes by 33 percent, he worked to preserve and protect the township's open space and historic landmarks, and he showed support for local first responders by helping to pass an ordinance declaring active volunteer firefighters tax exempt at the local level.
Fountain also formerly served as the chairman of the Montgomery County Young Republicans and is former president of Skippack Historical Society. In 2011, he worked as a field deputy director for the Brown-Castor Montgomery County Commissioners’ campaign.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
