Ex-Corrections Officer Headed To Trial After Testimony Of 2 Alleged Sex Assault Victims
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A former Allegheny County corrections officer is heading to trial on sex assault charges after two of his alleged victims testified in court Wednesday.
Ordinarily, alleged victims of sexual assault are not identified, but Melissa Behanna wanted to be identified to encourage other women not to be afraid to come forward, especially if they went through what she says she went through.
She says it happened while she was an inmate at the Allegheny County Jail.
She and another woman testified at the preliminary hearing for former corrections officer Joshua Reber that their encounters with him began with notes and flirtations but evolved into kissing, groping and sexual acts.
She spoke to reporters through her attorney, Jeffrey Weinberg.
"I think she's courageous in order to stand here and tell her story," Weinberg said. "She was sent here by Washington County because they were overcrowded. Nobody cared about this woman for a long period of time, and this is what happens."
She testified that the sexual acts led to more favorable inmate work assignments which could mean more freedom and more benefits like access to coffee, tobacco products and even contraband and disposing of the contraband before shakedowns.
"I never had anything to worry about because we were exchanging favors," she testified.
The defense attorney asked, "How often did you have contact of a sexual nature with him?"
"Every day that he worked." she replied.
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Reber was ordered to stand trial and a lawsuit against Allegheny County is expected shortly.
KDKA's Harold Hayes asked Behanna and Weinberg, "Do you believe that higher-ups should have known about this and been able to stop it?"
"They did know," replied Behanna.
"They have one job," said Weinberg, "that's to make sure what goes on from floor one through eight. They don't have anything else to do but that. And they can't even do that. This is endemic in that institution."
Reber will be formally arraigned in February on charges of institutional sexual assault.