Jury finds Brothersvalley Twp. man not guilty of rape of an unconscious woman
SOMERSET — A jury of nine women and three men have found a Brothersvalley Township man charged with rape of an unconscious woman not guilty on all counts.Its deliberation and decision took three hours Friday after sitting through a four-day trial in Somerset County Court.Intial report: Brothersvalley Township man is accused of sexually assaulting an unconscious womanInitially, Christopher Crites, 50, was charged by state police 18 months ago with rape of an unconscious victim, indecent deviant sexual intercourse, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, felonies, and indecent assault of an unconscious person, a misdemeanor.ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementOther: Jury finds Sipesville man not guilty in drug delivery caseOn Aug. 21, 2021, Crites and his wife were hosting an impromptu party after a group of their friends and acquaintances, approximately 12 people, left a Berlin bar late in the evening. The Crites' home in Brothersvalley Township was a short distance from the bar, according t
SOMERSET — A jury of nine women and three men have found a Brothersvalley Township man charged with rape of an unconscious woman not guilty on all counts.
Its deliberation and decision took three hours Friday after sitting through a four-day trial in Somerset County Court.
Intial report: Brothersvalley Township man is accused of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman
Initially, Christopher Crites, 50, was charged by state police 18 months ago with rape of an unconscious victim, indecent deviant sexual intercourse, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, felonies, and indecent assault of an unconscious person, a misdemeanor.
Other: Jury finds Sipesville man not guilty in drug delivery case
On Aug. 21, 2021, Crites and his wife were hosting an impromptu party after a group of their friends and acquaintances, approximately 12 people, left a Berlin bar late in the evening. The Crites' home in Brothersvalley Township was a short distance from the bar, according to court documents.
The alleged victim was among the group.
"She does not remember leaving the bar," according to a probable cause affidavit..
The woman told police she woke up confused on a couch in a home she didn't recognize. She said she was only partially clothed.
"She felt like something happened to her," police wrote. She left the house "in a panic through the basement and walked to a friend's house."
More: Former drug gang member sentenced for two counts of homicide in the third degree
She and her friend returned to the house for her belongings and saw Crites sleeping on the couch with her phone under him, according to the affidavit.
After a short discussion with him, she then went to the hospital and took a rape kit which involved law enforcement, according to court documents.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office prosecuted the case. Somerset attorney Matthew Zatko provided the defense in the case.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Jury find Brothersvalley Twp. man not guilty in sexual assault case
What's Your Reaction?
