A Westmoreland County man has been accused of sexually assaulting two children within a period spanning from 1989 to 1997, adding to a series of charges that are emerging from a grand jury investigation into misconduct among members of the Jehovah's Witnesses congregation, Timothy Willochell, 54, finds himself as the 17th individual from the congregation to face charges by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General since last year, according to a report by CBS News Pittsburgh.
The charges against Willochell include aggravated indecent assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, corruption of minors, among other offenses. he has been slapped with a $170,000 bail. He is instructed to avoid any contact with minors. Attorney General Dave Sunday, in a statement obtained by CBS News Pittsburgh, condemned the acts, stating, "This defendant preyed on two children, waiting for opportunities to assault them when they were alone and at their most vulnerable." A victim's testimony disclosed to the grand jury recounted a harrowing narrative of abuse beginning at the tender age of five, with the abuse recurring over several years.
A separate victim's testimony, detailing assaults that allegedly took place at a summer camp in Westmoreland County—Willochell's abuses spanning from 1993 to 1997. It is the courage of these individuals coming forward that has been lauded by the Attorney General, who recognizes that their actions have been instrumental in the ongoing broader investigation of the religious community, which was originally referred to the state by a county prosecutor in 2019.
Willochell, who was not listed as having an attorney in online court records, is being held at the Westmoreland County Prison, with a preliminary hearing set for July 21, as reported by TribLIVE.
