Suspect in custody after allegedly sexually assaulting woman on Westmoreland Heritage Trail
A man is facing several charges, including sexual assault, after he allegedly attempted to rape a woman along the Westmoreland Heritage Trail on Tuesday afternoon.
According to the criminal complaint provided to KDKA-TV, Colton Stennett of Jeanette was identified as the suspect and taken into custody.
Just before 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Murrysville police were called to the trail near the Premier Automation facility in Murrysville for an attempted rape. Dispatch had informed police that a man wearing black clothing and red shoes had pinned the 24-year-old woman down and attempted to rape her.
The woman told police she was out for a walk on the trail with her dog when she stopped to take a break and noticed a man coming toward her and touching his genitals over his pants. Police said he grabbed the woman's pants and tried to push her to the ground while still attempting to take off her pants and his own. Investigators said the woman fought back, kicking the man and biting him. Two bicyclists were approaching, which police said caused Stennett to flee.
After he fled, police said he took the woman's cell phone.
As the bicyclists got to the woman, she told them what happened and asked them to call 911, which they did.
Police said they observed red marks around the victim's neck as a result of the attempted assault.
Once police began to search the area, they said they found a man in a wooded area near the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitation building on Meadowbrook Road who matched the description of the suspect.
Stennett was taken into custody and told police that he and his girlfriend had an argument earlier in the day in Trafford, and he decided to walk the trail back to Jeannette, but also told them he did not recall the incident because he "blacked out," according to the criminal complaint.
"I can't believe it," said Jason Sturm, whose house is along the trail. "It's so well-traveled. There's so many people. Everybody is smiling. There's families."
Murrysville Police Chief Tom Kusinsky called the case "very unsettling."
"This is the town that we patrol," Kusinsky said. "We take pride in what we do here, and this community takes pride in what they have here."
For parents whose children use the trail, these allegations are alarming.
"I don't want to have to prepare her, give her mace to come down here," Sturm said.
It's recommended anytime you go on a trail, go in a group or with a pet and be aware of your surroundings.
The complaint says Stennett is being charged with attempted rape, robbery, theft, receiving stolen property, simple assault, harassment, and aggravated indecent assault. He was denied bond.
