Herminie man jailed on sex assault, related charges
A Herminie man remains behind bars on charges that he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl several times in 2022, according to court papers.
John M. Risher III, 20, was jailed last week on $500,000 bail.
State police troopers said the girl reported Risher sexually assaulted her in September and October 2022 at a location in West Newton. She told investigators that Risher gave her alcohol, marijuana and other drugs, according to court papers.
Police examined explicit messages and pictures saved on the girl’s phone and iPad that were exchanged between her and Risher. They reported finding photographs of Risher in various states of nudity including one where he is pointing a gun at the camera, according to court papers.
The girl reported to troopers that Risher threatened to kill her and her mother if they reported him to police. He is charged with statutory sexual assault, intimidation of a witness/victim, drug possession and related offenses. He was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison and did not have an attorney listed in online court records.
A preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 12.
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.