A 37-year-old Pottstown man is behind bars after authorities say he broke into two Montgomery County homes overnight, sexually assaulted two women and left one of them, a blind 90-year-old, with serious head and facial injuries. Police say the attacks happened in the early hours of April 23 in Lower Pottsgrove Township and Pottstown, and that a suspect was taken into custody the next day. The home invasions have rattled residents in the affected neighborhoods.
How investigators say the break-ins unfolded
According to CBS Philadelphia, Lower Pottsgrove police responded to a 911 call at a Terraced Hill Court home around 7:45 a.m. on April 23 and found the 90-year-old woman had been assaulted during the night. Investigators say surveillance footage showed a white Chevrolet Malibu near both crime scenes. A search of that vehicle turned up gloves, a face mask and other items that officials allege were used by the intruder. Prosecutors also say officers later recovered a Sony PlayStation and video games from the suspect’s residence that matched property reported stolen in the Lower Pottsgrove burglary.
What officials say happened to the victims
According to NBC10 Philadelphia, Pottstown officers were first called around 6 a.m. to a Walnut Street home. The homeowner told police she woke up to find a man standing over her bed pointing a firearm. Prosecutors say she was sexually assaulted. The blind 90-year-old in Lower Pottsgrove was later found with bleeding in the brain, a broken nose and extensive facial bruising after an overnight attack. NBC10 reports the elderly victim was in intensive care following the assault and remains hospitalized.
Charges, custody and what comes next in court
Montgomery County prosecutors charged Derelle Williams of Pottstown with burglary, robbery, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse by forcible compulsion, strangulation and related offenses, according to 6abc. Williams was arrested on April 24 and is being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility on $5 million bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 5, and prosecutors say there may be additional victims under investigation.
What Pennsylvania law says about the charges
In Pennsylvania, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse is charged under 18 Pa.C.S. §3123, which covers sexual acts committed "by forcible compulsion" and classifies many such offenses as felonies of the first degree. Strangulation is defined at 18 Pa.C.S. §2718. That statute allows the crime to be graded as a misdemeanor or elevated to a felony in certain circumstances, including when it happens in connection with sexual violence.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Lower Pottsgrove Police at 610-326-1508 or Pottstown Police at 610-970-6570, according to CBS Philadelphia. Court records and upcoming hearings in Montgomery County will determine how prosecutors proceed as investigators continue to look into whether there are other victims.
