Jailed Westmoreland County man accused of raping Allegheny County child
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A 41-year-old Sutersville man already accused of raping two Westmoreland County children was arrested last week on multiple charges of raping a 5-year-old in Allegheny County in 2011.
Ronald E. Styche III was arraigned Wednesday before Coraopolis District Judge Michele Santicola on multiple charges of rape, aggravated indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault and unlawful contact with a minor filed by Allegheny County Police.
According to court dockets, Santicola arraigned Styche via video from the Westmoreland County Prison, where he has been held on $500,000 bond since his Feb. 11 arrest.
State Trooper James McKenzie reported that, in recent interviews, the children told investigators the sexual abuse in Westmoreland County began in 2017. According to the criminal complaint, the assaults occurred on multiple occasions until December.
According to court documents filed in Allegheny County, the child was interviewed by out-of-state investigators in 2016 after a complaint was made to ChildLine, a child abuse hotline.
Allegheny County Detectives Corinne Orchowski and Richard Keebler allege in court documents that the child told them Styche committed repeated assaults in the Coraopolis area in 2011.
The family corroborated with investigators that Styche had contact with the child during the period when the assaults are alleged to have occurred, according to court documents.
After Styche’s Westmoreland arrest, the detectives interviewed him at the Hempfield jail on Feb. 13, when he denied any sexual contact with the Allegheny County child. But also told detectives he “had a very high, active sex drive at the time,” the complaint alleges.
Police reported that Styche “became emotionally upset and terminated the interview” when detectives pressed about the child’s allegations.
Styche’s preliminary hearing on the Westmoreland charges was continued Monday until March 9.
Allegheny County court records show the judge set Styche’s bond at $100,000 on the 2011 complaints. A preliminary hearing is scheduled March 24.