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Elco man charged with rape while awaiting trial on sexual assault charges

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An Elco man who already faces two trials for sexual assault charges was charged with the rape of a child on Wednesday.

In addition to the rape charge, state police charged Jerome Julian Stewart, 38, of 204 Cleveland St., with statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated indecent assault of someone under 13 years old, endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors and tampering with physical evidence.

According to police, the charges stem back to 2009, when Stewart sexually assaulted an 8-year-old girl. Police said the abuse continued until this year.

Court papers state that Stewart impregnated the victim when she was 13. The girl suffered a miscarriage at a home in Brownsville, and Stewart allegedly took the fetus and hid it.

Stewart again impregnated the victim when she was 15, the complaint alleges. A paternity test showed Stewart is the father, according to police.

The abuse took place in several locations over the years, according to police, including West Pike Run Township, California, Elco, Washington and Brownsville.

Police said there was an agreement between the district attorneys’ offices in Washington and Fayette counties to file the charges through Washington County’s court system.

Stewart is scheduled to appear Friday before Common Pleas Judge Gary Gilman for a pre-trial conference in two other cases in which he is charged with sexually assaulting minors.

In one case, Stewart is accused of raping a girl when she was between the age of 11 and 15 in Elco and Charleroi, from 2015 to 2020. In the other, police are accusing him of raping a 15-year-old in February 2016 in Elco.

Stewart was also charged at the beginning of September with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child and corruption of minors for allegedly sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl between August 2012 and August 2013.

Police said when the child was 8 or 9 years old, Stewart offered her money to perform a sex act.

He is currently in the Washington County jail. District Judge Eric Porter denied him bail.

Stewart appeared before Porter Thursday for a preliminary hearing on the recent charges. Porter held all charges for court. Stewart is scheduled for a formal arraignment at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 28, according to court records.

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