EAST CAMERON TOWNSHIP - A 47-year-old East Cameron Township man has been charged with raping a 29-year-old woman with a learning disability at his home Sunday night.
Kenneth Eugene Wertz, of 4178 Upper Road, remains in Northumberland County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail after being arraigned at 12:45 a.m. Tuesday by on-call Magisterial District Judge Benjamin Apfelbaum of Sunbury on two counts each of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault, and one count of simple assault. All the charges except the misdemeanor of simple assault are felonies.
Trooper David Townsend of state police at Stonington, who filed the charges, said the offenses occurred between 7:45 and 8:20 p.m. Sunday.
In addition to allegedly raping the victim, who suffers from a learning disability, Wertz is accused of throwing a telephone that struck her in the left eye, causing injury.
According to a criminal complaint, the victim, who reportedly was raped on a couch in the living room, did not want to have sex with Wertz, who allegedly forced himself on the victim and took her cell phone from her when she attempted to grab it. After allegedly being raped, police said the victim attempted to use a house telephone, which Wertz also grabbed from her and hit her in the eye.
During an interview with police at 9 p.m. Monday, Wertz admitted to raping the victim, and hitting her in the eye with a phone, but claimed it was an accident.
Wertz is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on the charges Feb. 6 before Magisterial District Judge Hugh Jones of Mount Carmel.