Jeannette man accused in Hempfield rape case

A Jeannette man was arraigned Wednesday after state police said he broke into a Hempfield home in November and raped a woman, according to court papers.

Asa Duane Busato, 22, is charged with rape of an unconscious person, burglary, aggravated indecent assault and criminal trespass. He was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $250,000 bail.

Troopers said the accuser and a friend were having a sleepover Nov. 9, when she was awakened by Busato on top of her, according to court papers. She told him to leave. Her friend corroborated her account.

Police said he entered the home through an unlocked basement door after midnight. He and the accuser know each other, according to court papers. The accuser’s parents previously told Busato to stay away from their property after he called her names on social media, police said.

Busato contacted the woman through the Snapchat app the day after the alleged incident and told her he didn’t remember it, according to court papers. During an interview at the Westmoreland County Prison on Jan. 18, Busato told investigators that he was invited to the home that night. The accuser told police she didn’t ask him to come over or consent to have sex with him.

Busato did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 25.

He has been held in the county jail since Jan. 9 on $10,000 bail in connection with simple assault and harassment charges filed by Jeannette police. He is scheduled for plea court in April, according to online court records. He is awaiting trial in a January 2020 robbery case filed by city police.