Allegheny Township man to remain in jail pending trial on charges of multiple sexual assaults

An Allegheny Township man awaiting trial on charges he sexually assaulted five people will remain in jail after a Westmoreland County judge ruled Monday he was a potential danger to the community.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik DeFazio rejected a bond modification request from Eric Alan Wright that would have allowed him to leave jail and await trial while on house arrest.

Wright, 49, has been incarcerated since January 2020 in lieu of bonds that total more than $1.1 million. Police charged him with multiple counts of rape, sexual assaults and other related offenses in connection with accusations made by five alleged victims in connection with separate incidents.

Police contend Wright, 49, raped two children over a 20-year period dating to 2000, fondled another teenage girl, exposed himself to a 50-year-old woman at her home and, in 2018, raped a woman in her residence.

Wright has denied the allegations and, in court on Monday, defense attorney William Difenderfer said the prosecution will not be able to prove its cases at trial.

“There are real issues here that will be exposed at trial,” Difenderfer said.

Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar said the prosecution believes the evidence will show that Wright is a “serial sex offender.” He outlined several of the allegations, including one in which police claim Wright raped a woman he picked up while on his way to work.

“The allegations are very serious,” Lazar said. “There are multiple rapes of multiple individuals.”

The judge said Wright will remain behind bars until his trial, which is tentatively scheduled to begin in April, but will likely be conducted in June.