Nov 15, 2023 By Mike Jones 3 min read

The Republican candidate in East Washington accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy narrowly lost his race for borough council to a write-in candidate.

Anthony J. Dinch Jr., who was charged by East Washington police in late September, was defeated by just five votes by Thomas Marshall, who organized an impromptu write-in campaign after Dinch’s arrest was revealed.

“It came up kind of at the last minute, for me, so we didn’t have a lot of opportunity to get the word out,” Marshall said. “It was a bipartisan effort to get a write-in candidate who would take it. A lot of word of mouth from both Republicans and Democrats.”

Marshall, a registered Democrat who also was a candidate on the ballot for a full term, said he was approached by several members of East Washington Borough Council asking him to run for the two-year term, as well. Marshall received 147 write-in votes compared to the 142 votes for Dinch, who won the Republican primary and was running unopposed in the Nov. 7 election.

“I am relieved,” Marshall said upon learning the write-in results.

The Washington County elections office counted all write-in votes Tuesday and was expected to publish the unofficial results on its website today.

Marshall also was the top vote-getter in the main race for council with four seats up for grabs with four-year terms. He said he expects to accept that position, meaning council will likely have to appoint a person to the open two-year term.

In addition to Marshall, Democrat Joseph Fulton and Republican Douglas Corwin also won four-year terms to council. However, the final makeup of borough council won’t be known for some time after Mumbi Mundia and Kent James tied for the final spot, with each receiving 249 votes. After the results are certified later this month, the elections office will hold a tiebreaker by having the two candidates draw numbers to determine which one is the winner.

The losing candidate could ultimately be appointed to the open two-year seat, although Marshall said he was unsure what the members will decide to do. Meanwhile, East Washington Mayor Demond Nixon, who is a Republican, defeated Democratic challenger Daniel Bird Sr. by a vote total of 278-208 for the remaining two years for the term after replacing Matt Boice, who died in office in August 2022.

Dinch, who was also a candidate for a four-year term on council, finished last in that race. Dinch, 28, was charged Sept. 29 and accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy last November and again in May at his East Wheeling Street apartment where the teen often stayed with him, according to borough police. Dinch is free on $250,000 unsecured bond while awaiting trial on charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person under 16, unlawful contact with a minor, child endangerment, corruption of a minor, indecent assault of a person under 16 and furnishing alcohol to a minor.

Dinch’s arrest came about six weeks after the Aug. 14 deadline to withdraw one’s name from the ballot.