GASKILL TWP., Pa. (EYT) — A Punxsutawney man is behind bars after a victim came forward with allegations of sexual abuse that lasted over four years when she was a juvenile.
According to court records, on Thursday, March 21, 2024, Punxsutawney-based State Police filed criminal charges against 41-year-old Joshua James Riggie, of Punxsutawney, in District Judge Jacqueline J. Mizerock’s office.
According to a criminal complaint, the PSP Punxsutawney barracks was notified on May 7, 2021, of sexual assault allegations involving a known child victim and Joshua Riggie, which occurred at a residence in Gaskill Township, Jefferson County.
The victim told police a sexual relationship began when she was 13 years old and Riggie was 25. She reported the sexual relationship spanned a four-year time frame, the complaint states.
The victim stated the relationship included sexual intercourse and other sexual acts. She advised that she and Riggie had intercourse at least twice a month for four years, two of those years being before she was 16 years old, the complaint indicates.
On May 27, 2021, the victim provided police with a two-page “love note” addressed to her and written by Riggie, according to the complaint.
On January 6, 2022, the note and envelope were sent to a lab for DNA testing. The analysis showed that DNA found on the seal/flap of the envelope matched the DNA of Joshua Riggie. The note was also sent to a lab for handwriting analysis with a victim impact statement that Riggie wrote for an unrelated incident. The two documents “conclusively matched,” the complaint indicates.
Unable to post $120,000.00 monetary bail, he was lodged in the Jefferson County Jail.
Riggie is currently awaiting a preliminary hearing.
EDITOR’S NOTE 1: Extreme graphic details were not included due to the sexual nature of the alleged crimes.
EDITOR’S NOTE 2: Several details were removed from this article to help protect the identity of the alleged victim.
Copyright © 2024 EYT Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of the contents of this service without the express written consent of EYT Media Group, Inc. is expressly prohibited.
