A 24-year-old Norristown man is facing criminal charges after police say he groped two different women within a single day, including one incident that unfolded steps from the Montgomery County Courthouse during a weekday lunch hour. Taron Marant was taken into custody and charged with two counts of indecent assault without consent and two counts of harassment following the back-to-back incidents in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
According to NBC10 Philadelphia, the first incident happened on August 27 at around 2:30 p.m. near the corner of West Marshall Street and Markley Street, where a 20-year-old woman was approached by a man who told her, “Oh my gosh you look good,” before grabbing her buttocks, per the criminal complaint. The woman left the area and later called police.
Second Attack Steps From County Offices
The following day, August 28, a Montgomery County employee was walking during her lunch break when a man slapped and grabbed her buttocks from behind, according to the criminal complaint cited in the station's report. That incident occurred at around 1:05 p.m. on East Airy Street, next to the Montgomery County Courthouse — a stretch of downtown Norristown that also houses the courthouse complex at 2 East Airy Street, a primary pedestrian corridor for court staff and visitors, according to court records aggregator CourtCaseFinder.
The employee reported the incident to security, who called police, per the same account. Investigators reviewed surveillance video of the suspect and, per the criminal complaint, the man was spotted around 2:50 p.m. that same day on Barbados Street between West Penn and West Main streets. Police went on to identify Marant as the suspect in both incidents.
Suspect Told Police the Assaults Made Him Feel Good
Per the criminal complaint, Marant told investigators he indecently assaulted the women because he thought they were attractive and it made him feel good, and said he did not know either woman. He lives in Norristown and was taken into custody by police.
Marant was already facing a prior burglary charge from April, after a woman found him inside her garage searching through her car, court records showed. That earlier case remained open when his bail was reduced over the summer, allowing his release shortly before the two groping incidents took place this month.
Bail, Charges and What Comes Next
Marant is now held in Montgomery County Prison, located at 60 Eagleville Road in Norristown, on $25,000 cash bail tied to the new charges, per Abington Township's facility directory. Online court records did not list the name of a public defender who could speak on his behalf, the station's report noted. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for September 16.
At that hearing, prosecutors will only need to establish a prima facie case before a Magisterial District Judge — showing a crime occurred and that Marant likely committed it — a far lower bar than the proof beyond a reasonable doubt required at trial, according to Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg, & Gifford, P.C. Under Pennsylvania law, indecent assault without consent is graded as a second-degree misdemeanor carrying up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine, per DiCindio Law, while the harassment counts are graded as a summary offense under a separate statute, according to the Banks Law Group. A conviction on the indecent assault charge could also trigger mandatory registration on Pennsylvania's sex offender registry under Megan's Law, per Bellwoar Kelly, LLP.
A Pattern of Concern Around the Courthouse
The case adds to a string of sexual misconduct prosecutions moving through Montgomery County courts. In April, a former Norristown Area School District teacher was sentenced to jail time after pleading guilty to attempted sexual contact with a student, in a case also investigated by Norristown police. And last year, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office deputies completed specialized defensive tactics training inside the courthouse complex, part of ongoing security efforts to protect employees and visitors on the grounds.
The Norristown Police Department reported a 27% drop in total reported crime across the borough during the first half of 2026, which it attributed to increased patrols and community engagement, according to a department post. Victims of sexual assault in Pennsylvania can also petition courts for a Sexual Violence Protection Order, a civil remedy that does not require any prior relationship with the accused, according to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. Anyone affected by sexual assault can reach the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673, and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center also provides support resources for victims.
