Spring Brook Twp. man charged with sexual assault
Jul. 28—A Spring Brook Twp. man in April sexually assaulted an intoxicated woman he met at a bar in Moscow, state police at Dunmore charged in a criminal complaint.
Frederick C. Strein, 49, 107 Elias Road, is charged with counts of sexual assault and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of an unconscious or unaware victim, as well as indecent assault and aggravated indecent assault, according to a complaint filed by Trooper Ryan Kearney.
The Times-Tribune does not identify victims of sexual assault.
Reached by phone Tuesday, Strein called them "false accusations" and directed inquiries to attorney Andrew Katsock, who could not be reached for comment.
According to an affidavit, Kearney began an investigation shortly before 5 a.m. April 27 as the victim sought treatment at Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton for sexual assault. She identified her assailant as Strein — whom she met earlier in the night and who repeatedly offered to give her a ride home as she became intoxicated.
Things became "foggy," she said. Rather than going home, she remembered Strein on top of her in the passenger seat with their pants down and trying to push him off of her while telling him to stop.
She was unsuccessful and told state police she was unsure what happened before Strein decided to stop and drove her back to the bar around 2 a.m., according to the complaint.
She drove herself home, told her mother what happened and went to the hospital.
Kearney interviewed the victim's mother, who told the trooper her daughter's pants were on inside out.
Shortly after, Kearney met with Strein, who flatly denied sexual contact with the victim. Later, he admitted they kissed. Eventually, he told state police he touched her inappropriately but denied having intercourse. He said the victim did not say "no" or "stop."
When authorities again spoke with the victim, Strein's words upset her because she couldn't remember exactly what happened except for what she'd already described. She did not consent to any of the activity Strein described, she told officers.
Earlier this month, a lab report indicated Strein's DNA was discovered on a vaginal swab of the victim.
Strein is free on $20,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled 9:45 a.m. Monday.
Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9100, x5187; @jkohutTT on Twitter.
