Mar 25, 2014 3 min read

A Canton Township man accused of holding his estranged girlfriend captive, sexually assaulting her and threatening to kill her before she escaped by jumping from a moving vehicle pleaded guilty to several charges.

A jury trial for John Gallo, 42, was supposed to start Tuesday morning before Washington County Judge John DiSalle. But instead, Gallo pleaded guilty to kidnapping, terroristic threats, unlawful restraint, simple assault and three counts of aggravated assault.

Gallo was accused of assaulting a woman inside her hotel room at Pugh’s Motel, 1911 W. Chestnut St., Canton Township. The woman told police that Gallo came to her room about 10:30 p.m. Sept. 23, 2012, and that she let him in. She then asked him to leave and return a short time later. When Gallo returned, he found the door locked, forced the door open and grabbed the woman in a choke hold, police said.

Gallo then put the woman in her vehicle and drove away. While driving west on Route 40, Gallo reportedly told the woman they both were going to die.

The woman told police that Gallo drove to a remote location and told her that he was going to throw her down a mine shaft, then shoot himself and fall in after her. The woman said she tried to calm him down, but he raped her. She said Gallo then drove back to her room, threatened to kill her and then sexually assaulted her again.

Gallo eventually fell asleep, and the woman went outside to call for help. He woke up while she was on the phone, he grabbed her around the neck, forced her into his vehicle and drove east on Route 40 toward Interstate 70, where she jumped out of the vehicle.

Gallo attempted to force her back into the vehicle, but bystanders intervened. They were able to flag down a North Franklin police officer, but Gallo fled the area. He later turned himself in to authorities.

Gallo was sentenced to 3 to 6 years in prison, ordered to pay restitution and to have no contact with the victim or her family.

Also in court this week before DiSalle were Aron C. Bush, 38, of Warren, Ohio, and Richard G. Crowley, 62, of Canonsburg. Jury selection for the cases were supposed to start Monday. Bush pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to deliver cocaine. He was arrested in 2011 after state police searched a home on East Pike Street in Houston and found drugs, cash and other related paraphernalia. Bush was sentenced to 3 to 6 years in prison.

Crowley was charged with endangering the welfare of a child. He was accused of having inappropriate contact with a 7-year-old girl on several occasions. He was arrested in April, after the girl told her mother that Crowley had inappropriately touched her.

Crowley was admitted to the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for five years. The ARD program is for first-time offenders. If Crowley successfully completes the program, he can petition to have the court expunge his record.