Rape charges move forward for Thompson man

BY STACI WILSON

A Thompson area man accused of raping a woman Sept. 17, 2011 in Susquehanna Depot will face those charges in Susquehanna County Court.

Jeremiah Quackenbush, 31, waived his preliminary hearing scheduled for Monday before District Judge Jodi Cordner.

Quackenbush faces one count of rape and one count of criminal trespass – both felony charges filed by Tpr. Mark Keyes.

According to the affidavit, Quackenbush told police in a Sept. 18, 2011 interview that he and the woman often had sex with each other and that he couldn’t believe she said he had raped her.

The Susquehanna County Independent does not identify the victims of alleged sexual assault.

Quackenbush also told police that he and the victim had exchanged text messages following the incident, according to the affidavit.

According to the court document, Quackenbush said the messages started out alleging he raped her but by the end of the conversation, she was telling him that she loved him.

According to the affidavit, Quackenbush agreed to take a polygraph exam and then said to police, “The farthest she went was to say this is wrong.”

When asked by police to explain the comment, according to the affidavit, Quackenbush said that both he and the victim were dating other people and it was wrong for them to be having sex but “that was their thing.”

Police also interviewed witnesses who were at the victim’s apartment at the time of the alleged incident.

One witness, April Warner, told police she thought Quackenbush and the victim were in a back room talking. But after the man left, she said, Warner said the victim told her Quackenbush had raped her.

Another witness, Roxanne Bishop, was also interviewed by police on Sept. 18, 2011. She said she was outside the victim’s apartment when Quackenbush arrived on Sept. 17 and that the victim had told him to wait outside but he let himself into the apartment. She also said he left within the hour.

Quackenbush remains free on unsecured bail.