According to court documents, Clarion-based State Police filed criminal charges against 34-year-old James Luther King, of 2558 Fisher Road, Strattanville.
According to a criminal complaint, in December of 2015, Officer William Craddock, of PSP Clarion, was assigned to investigate allegations against the suspect – James Luther King.
The complaint states that Officer Craddock interviewed a 15-year-old female who said that King sexually abused her. During a forensic interview of the victim on January 6, 2016, at Western PA CARES for Kids, it was learned that the abuse had been occurring since she was four years old. She also indicated that he forced her to watch a pornographic video with him, and he exposed himself to her. She said that King inappropriately touched her on different occasions and that she believed there were other girls that he had abused and stated that she had witnessed him touching some of them. She provided Officer Craddock with list of victims.
On January 13, 2016, Officer Craddock interviewed the following victims:
- an 18-year-old female who said that King would “frequently act perverted and talked a lot about having sex” and that he inappropriately touched her. This occurred when she was 17 years old.
- a 16-year-old female who indicated that when she was 15 years old, King touched her inappropriately and that when she was taking a shower, ” he watched her through a crack in the door.”
- a 20-year-old female who said that she stayed at King and his girlfriend’s residence off and on for years, and that she would leave because of King, explaining that “he would make perverted comments to her and had texted her and asked her to be his ‘secret lover.'” She also indicated that King exposed himself to her. She stated that on another occasion, when she was 18 years old, King came “into her room and watched her as she had sex with her boyfriend.”
On February 11, 2016, Officer Craddock interviewed a 21-year-old female who related the following details:
- She lived with King and his girlfriend off and on for a long time.
- When she was 11 or 12 years old, she had been left alone with him, and he exposed himself to her. On another occasion, “about three months later, she was alone in the house with (King), and he raped her.” She said when people arrived at the house, King told her “not to tell anyone and that no one would believe her anyways.”
- She said that when she was 19 to 20 years old, he would inappropriately grab her when she would walk past him.
- She related that a year ago, King tried to bribe her to have sex in exchange for drugs.
Based on his investigation, Officer Craddock requested the court issue a warrant of arrest for King.
A preliminary arraignment was held at 6:10 p.m. at February 22 in front of Magisterial District Judge Duane L. Quinn.
King faces the following charges:
- Rape Forcible Compulsion, Felony 1
- Rape of Child, Felony 1
- Corruption Of Minors – Defendant Age 18 or Above, Felony 3 (four counts)
- Indecent Assault Person Less than 13 Years of Age, Misdemeanor 1 (five counts)
- Indecent Exposure, Misdemeanor 1 (three counts)
- Disseminating Explicit Sex Materials, Minor, Felony 3
- Indecent Assault-W/O Cons Of Other, Misdemeanor 2 (ten counts)
- Indecent Assault Forcible Compulsion, Misdemeanor 1 (three counts)
- Indecent Assault Person Less 16 Yrs Age, Misdemeanor 2 (five counts)
- Invasion of Privacy – view, photograph, etc. person w/out consent, Misdemeanor 3 (two counts)
Unable to post $75,000.00 monetary bail, he was lodged in the Clarion County Jail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. on March 8 with Judge Miller presiding.
Editor’s Note: Graphic details and incidents were not included due to the sexual nature of the alleged crimes.