Greensburg man accused in rape of 5-year-old charged with assaulting guard
A Greensburg man accused of rape for allegedly pressuring an ex-girlfriend to send him a video of her performing a sex act on a 5-year-old boy has been charged with assaulting a Westmoreland County Prison guard.
Charles Jason Hunter, 32, is awaiting trial on charges of rape, rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child and other counts filed by city police. He was charged Friday by county detectives with aggravated assault and simple assault for allegedly assaulting a corrections officer at the Hempfield lockup in September.
Detective James Williams alleges in court documents that Hunter was transported by authorities to the county jail from a court proceeding in Greensburg on Sept. 6 when he was taken to a search room before being returned to his jail cell. The guard instructed Hunter to remove his clothing so he could be searched, but the inmate became combative, Williams reported.
“While Hunter was being instructed to strip his clothing away, Hunter clenched his fists and lunged at (the corrections officer),” Williams wrote in court documents.
As the officer tried to secure Hunter and call other guards, Williams alleges Hunter continued to struggle, causing an injury to the guard’s right hand when it was pinned against a wall as Hunter was being subdued, Williams said.
Hunter has been in the county jail without bond since Aug. 16.
City police Detective John Swank said in court documents that Hunter’s ex-girlfriend, 25-year-old Corby Kinzey of Greensburg, told investigators that she performed the sex act on the child and recorded the video after repeated requests from Hunter. Police arrested her Aug. 14.
Swank alleges Kinzey told investigators that Hunter had sex with the victim twice in June while she was present.
According to court documents, city police forensic specialist Lt. Rob Jones has retrieved video recordings of Kinzey having sex with the child that were retrieved from Hunter’s cellphone after his arrest.
Swank said there were numerous text messages between the pair that substantiate her claim that Hunter requested Kinzey perform the sex acts on the child.
Kinzey is also being held county jail without bail.
Following a preliminary hearing Aug. 30, Flanigan ruled there was sufficient evidence for a third defendant in the case — Hunter’s current girlfriend, Amanda Lynn Smith, 29, of Hempfield — to stand trial on a count of disseminating a video of a sex act on a child. She is being held on $100,000 bond.
Trial dates have not been scheduled for the trio, according to on-line dockets.
Paul Peirce is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at 724-850-2860, ppeirce@tribweb.com or via Twitter @ppeirce_trib.
