Pittsburgh man wanted in California Borough rape case
CALIFORNIA – A Pittsburgh man is wanted in connection with a rape last year in California Borough.
District Judge Joshua Kanalis signed a warrant Tuesday for the arrest of Jacob Edwin West, 19, on charges of rape, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault without consent and indecent assault, court records show.
A woman first complained about the alleged Oct. 30, 2018, assault to the California University of Pennsylvania police department. About a month later, the university turned over the investigation to California Borough police, the affidavit indicates.
The woman told police West forced her to have sex after she refused his advances in an apartment at Vulcan Village, a university-related housing community on California Road.
Police said an officer reviewed a text message West sent to the woman later that day in which he apologized for forcing her to have sex with him. There were other text messages from West pertaining to the assault, police said in charging documents.
It was not immediately known why police waited nine months to file charges in the case.