Pennsylvania Prosecutor Charged in Rape at Woman’s Home, Police Say

An elected region authoritative successful Pennsylvania who was charged connected Wednesday with rape successful transportation with an onslaught connected a pistillate successful her location near the residence lone aft she promised not to telephone the police, the authorities said.

The Pennsylvania State Police said the Somerset County territory attorney, Jeffrey L. Thomas, was charged with rape, indecent and elemental assault, strangulation and transgression trespass successful transportation with the Sept. 18 onslaught successful Windber, a borough that is astir 2 hours eastbound of Pittsburgh.

Mr. Thomas, 36, a Republican, was elected territory lawyer successful 2019. His lawyer, Ryan Tutera, and a pistillate who answered the telephone astatine the territory attorney’s bureau connected Friday declined to remark connected whether Mr. Thomas would measurement down.

A State Police study said Mr. Thomas utilized Snapchat to connection the woman, who was not identified, and told her that helium would beryllium astatine her location successful a fewer minutes. She responded that helium was not invited successful her location and helium entered “by subterfuge,” carrying respective cans of beer, the study said.

He handed her an opened tin of beer, and erstwhile helium did not permission arsenic she told him to, she slapped him, the constabulary study said. Mr. Thomas struck her face, causing her chemoreceptor to bleed. He past pulled down her sports bra and choked her earlier biting her breasts and raping her, the study said.

He grabbed the pistillate by her cervix and hairsbreadth and asked whether she was going to telephone the police, the study said. He yet near lone aft she said she would not telephone the police, according to the report.

The constabulary said that Mr. Thomas had known the pistillate for years “in a nonrecreational capacity,” and that helium had repeatedly contacted her “to initiate a intersexual relationship,” which she declined. Mr. Thomas had arrived astatine her location connected a erstwhile juncture and walked successful uninvited and would besides “routinely thrust astir her residence,” the constabulary study said.

Josh Shapiro, the Pennsylvania lawyer general, said successful a connection that the charges against Mr. Thomas were “deeply disturbing,” adding that “today is simply a reminder that nary 1 is supra the law.”

He besides commended the pistillate for being brave capable to travel forward. “That is ne'er an casual happening to do, particularly erstwhile your abuser is simply a almighty elected official,” helium said.

The tribunal proceedings whitethorn beryllium antithetic arsenic the plaintiff, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, was acceptable to beryllium represented by the Somerset County territory attorney’s office, which Mr. Thomas led.

Mr. Tutera said connected Friday that each of the county’s magistrate judges would recuse themselves due to the fact that of their erstwhile enactment with Mr. Thomas’s office, and that the authorities mightiness name a judge. Mr. Thomas had a preliminary proceeding scheduled for Sept. 29, but Mr. Tutera said it would precise apt beryllium postponed.

Mr. Tutera said the pistillate drank brew and smoked marijuana with Mr. Thomas successful her home, adding, “I deliberation that there’s much to this communicative than meets the eye.” Mr. Thomas was released from jailhouse connected Thursday greeting aft posting $5,000 bail, Mr. Tutera said.

In October 2020, Mr. Thomas was cited successful Cambria County, which is northbound of Somerset County, for disorderly behaviour and harassment, WJAC-TV reported.

He utilized obscene connection astatine a pizza edifice and aboriginal threatened to “engage successful a carnal altercation” astatine a gymnastics gym, the tv presumption reported. The presumption of those citations was not instantly disposable connected Friday.

“Just due to the fact that I americium an elected official, I’m not expected to get upset that my 5-year-old daughter’s day enactment gets screwed up,” helium told the presumption successful effect to the citations. “That’s ridiculous.”

This is the 2nd clip this twelvemonth that a Pennsylvania territory lawyer has been accused of intersexual assault. In February, Chad M. Salsman, who was the territory lawyer successful Bradford County, was accused of sexually assaulting clients from his backstage signifier earlier helium was elected territory lawyer successful 2019. He pleaded blameworthy to immoderate of the charges and resigned successful May of this year, and was sentenced successful July to 18 months to 5 years successful prison.

Maria Cramer contributed reporting.