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Man jailed after allegedly raping disabled woman

Standard-Speaker - 9/20/2018

Sept. 20--A 55-year-old Lansford man allegedly was caught raping a mentally disabled woman in the borough Monday night.

The woman's mother caught the man pulling his pants up and her daughter laying on the patio floor, unclothed from the waist down, according to arrest papers.

James T. Nunemacher was taken to jail after failing to post $75,000 bail set Tuesday night during his preliminary arraignment before Magisterial District Judge Casimir Kosciolek, Lansford. He remained incarcerated Wednesday afternoon, unable to post bail, according to court information.

State police at Lehighton investigated the report due to an unspecified conflict of interest, according to court records. They charged him with felonies for rape of a mentally disabled person and sexual assault, along with misdemeanors for indecent assault against a person with a mental disability and indecent exposure.

Carbon County District Attorney Jean Engler contacted troopers about the case around 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Troopers said they initially spoke to Lansford police officer Jason Helmer on the phone. At the time, he was with the victim and her mother at St. Luke's Hospital-Miners Campus, Coaldale, where a sexual assault examination was performed early that morning. Helmer said Nunemacher was a family friend and caregiver to the victim.

When troopers were able to speak to the mother at 11 a.m. Tuesday, she said she was watching football around 10 p.m. Monday when she noticed several lights were still on in the home, arrest papers state.

Court papers state as she went to turn them off, she found Nunemacher standing on the back patio, pulling his pants up and adjusting his belt. She heard him say, "Hurry up mommy's here," troopers wrote, and then she noticed her daughter lying on her back, on the floor, unclothed.

While Nunemacher stood there appearing stunned, the daughter pulled her pants up and walked into the home and the mother ordered Nunemacher to leave, troopers wrote.

Nunemacher later told troopers he was drinking heavily that night and stayed at a house about two blocks away from the victim's home.

Asked if he committed the crimes, his response was, "Not that I can remember," arrest papers state.

Contact the writer:

achristman@standardspeaker

.com; 570-501-3584

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