Greene County man accused of rape convicted of lesser charges at trial
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A Franklin Township man who was accused of sexually assaulting a woman at his home last year was acquitted of rape Tuesday, but convicted on other charges connected with the case.
Gary Lee Black, 61, was found guilty by a Greene County jury on charges of aggravated indecent assault without consent, sexual assault and indecent assault following a one-day trial.
State police said Black contacted the woman and later picked her up at her house on March 15, 2023, before the two returned to his residence in the 300 block of Water Dam Road. The woman told investigators they had been drinking alcohol all day, and Black eventually asked her if she would have sex with him.
She rebuffed his request, prompting Black to try to remove her pants before bringing her into his bedroom. Police said Black then forced himself onto the woman despite her telling him to stop. Black apologized to the woman during a text message exchange with her after taking her home later that day, according to court documents.
Black told investigators that the sexual encounter was consensual, although he could not explain why he apologized to the woman about what had occurred.
State police charged and arrested Black on Sept. 12, and he has been held at the Greene County jail on $100,000 while awaiting trial.
Neither Greene County District Attorney Brianna Vanata nor Black’s public defender, Marissa Stewart, could be reached for comment Wednesday to discuss the verdict.
Black was also facing a felony charge of rape, but the jury found him not guilty on that count.
President Judge Lou Dayich, who presided over the trial, ordered Black to undergo a sexual offender assessment as part of a pre-trial investigation. Black will be sentenced at a later date.