Smithfield sex offender back in jail on rape charges

A Fayette County man who served nearly 20 years in prison on a rape conviction is back in jail on a new set of rape charges.

Patsy Varano Sr., 58, of 149 Gates Road, Smithfield, is charged by state police at Uniontown with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, four counts of rape, five counts of sexual assault and four related charges.

In an affidavit, police said Varano forced a woman to have sex with him on four occasions. The first incident occurred behind the McClellandtown Fire Hall during the summer, police said, followed by several incidents in December at two residences in Georges.

Varano is listed as a sex offender on the state's Megan's Law website. Court records indicate a jury convicted him of rape in 1989.

Varano began serving a 5- to 20-year prison sentence in February 1989, according to court records. He was placed on parole in 2005, but ordered back to prison in 2007 for a parole violation.

He was released in January 2009 after having served his maximum sentence, according to a spokeswoman with the state Corrections Department.

Charges were filed earlier this month before McClellandtown District Judge Randy Abraham, but were transferred to Belle Vernon District Judge Jesse Cramer because of a conflict of interest.

Varano is in the Fayette County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bond. A date for a preliminary hearing has not yet been scheduled.