State College man charged with rape and assault at motel

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) — A state college man is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly assaulting a woman at a local motel.

Robert Charles Wason, 38, was arrested Tuesday and charged with rape, aggravated assault, strangulation, robbery, and impersonating a public servant after a violent incident at the Nittany Budget Motel on Sept. 30.

According to the criminal complaint, Wason agreed to meet the woman at the motel. The affidavit indicated Wason paid for the motel room upon his arrival. Once inside the room, the situation quickly escalated when Wason allegedly handcuffed the woman and began assaulting her.

Police said Wason claimed to be a police officer during the encounter. He allegedly told the woman to get onto the bed, proceeded to handcuff her, and pressed a pillow down over her face, suffocating her. The victim suffered multiple cuts, bruises, and severe marks on her wrist from the handcuffs, according to the criminal complaint.

During the assault, Wason allegedly raped the woman while she was physically restrained. At one point, she managed to free herself and fled the room to seek help.

The victim told police that after she escaped, Wason took her purse, which contained two of her phones. He left the motel before police arrived. Officers later recovered one of the woman’s phones near the Ferguson Township Municipal Building.

Wason was arrested after investigators tracked him down through a combination of surveillance footage from the motel and forensic evidence from the room. When questioned by police, Wason allegedly admitted to several elements of assault. He told officers that he placed his hands over the woman’s mouth and used the pillow but claimed he did it in self-defense. He also acknowledged taking her purse but claimed he did not realize it contained her phone.

Wason further told officers that the encounter “got out of hand” but denied his actions constituted rape. Police said his explanations were inconsistent with the physical evidence and the victim’s account.

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Wason is currently being held in Centre County Prison with bail set at $135,000. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 9.

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