DA drops alleged rape case after accuser declines to testify
Westmoreland County prosecutors on Monday dismissed rape and related charges against a Blairsville man who police claimed was linked to alleged sexual assaults through DNA evidence.
Felony counts of rape, sexual assault, possession of child pornography and other offenses were dropped as jury selection in the case against Lawrence Paul Dornin Jr. was set to begin.
Police said Dornin, 48, had improper sexual contact with a teenage girl years earlier. The accuser, now in her mid-20s, told police in 2017 that she was raped and assaulted multiple times.
Assistant District Attorney Theresa Miller Sporrer said Dornin’s accuser declined to testify at trial.
Dornin was arrested in February 2020 and has been free on $50,000 bail.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.