Clarion County Rape Suspect Apprehended in Tennessee

| May 16, 2017

miller-mugPAINT TWP., Pa. (EYT) – A 41-year-old Tennessee man wanted in connection with the 2014 rape of a 16-year-old girl in Clarion County was taken into custody Friday – nearly two years after charges were originally filed.

Clarion-based State Police Tpr. Hotchkiss told exploreClarion.com that John M. Miller III, of Shelbyville, Tennessee, was located in Tennessee last week, and a warrant was immediately issued for his arrest.

Miller was apprehended by law enforcement officials in Tennessee and placed in the Bedford County Jail while awaiting extradition to Clarion County.

Clarion County Sheriff Rex Munsee confirmed that two of his deputies left to pick up Miller on Wednesday, May 10, and returned to Clarion with him on Friday where he was lodged in the Clarion County Jail.

“They went to Shelbyville, Tennessee, to get him down there. It was a routine trip,” said Munsee.

Details of the Alleged Rape

The following charges were filed against Miller on May 14, 2015, in relation to an alleged rape in Paint Township:

– Rape Forcible Compulsion, Felony 1
– Sexual Assault, Felony 2
– Aggravated Indecent Assault without Consent, Felony 2
– Corruption Of Minors – Defendant Age 18 or Above, Felony 3
– Indecent Assault without Consent Of Other, Misdemeanor 2

According to a criminal complaint filed on May 14, 2015, at District Magistrate Timothy P. Schill’s office, the investigation was initiated in 2015 after Clarion-based State Police Trooper Hotchkiss received a report of suspected child abuse from Clarion County Children and Youth Services (CYS).

The criminal complaint states that a report filed by CYS indicates that the victim revealed allegations to her therapist that she was sexually assaulted at her residence by John M. Miller III.

Tpr. Hotchkiss subsequently arranged an interview with the victim’s mother. The interview was held on March 9, 2015, at the Clarion-based State Police barracks.

During the interview, Tpr. Hotchkiss asked the victim’s mother about the allegations against Miller. She stated that she and her husband were foster parents to Miller and his two brothers “when they were younger.”

According to the complaint, the victim’s mother told Tpr. Hotchkiss during the interview that Miller was jailed in the Jefferson County Jail and then the Clarion County Jail in 2014. She stated that when he was released from the Clarion County Jail in the Spring of 2014, he asked if he could “stay at her house until he could save money to move back to Tennessee.”

The victim’s mother stated that she agreed and that Miller moved into their house for a short period of time and then left. She told Tpr. Hotchkiss that she didn’t know about the alleged incident until it was brought to her attention by her daughter’s therapist.

Tpr. Hotchkiss also interviewed the victim at the Clarion-based State Police barracks on March 9, 2015.

During the interview, the victim told Tpr. Hotchkiss that “she doesn’t really know the defendant well because he moved out of her house before she was born.” She stated that she knows him as her foster brother. She also told Tpr. Hotchkiss that Miller was staying at her family’s home “around the end of April or beginning of May 2014.”

According to the complaint, the victim stated that on an unknown date during aforementioned time period, around 5:30 a.m., she was in bed sleeping when she was awakened as the door to her room opened. She stated that Miller entered her room and she pretended to be sleeping as he approached her bed. She stated that he started kissing her and began touching her genitals.

The victim stated that she told Miller “NO” and “STOP,” but he allegedly wouldn’t and he started removing her underwear.

The victim told Tpr. Hotchkiss that she knew what he was going to do and she told him “NO” again, at which point, he told her it would be okay and got on top of her. She stated that he was on top of her for approximately three minutes and then stopped, according to the complaint.

She said he heard a noise and quickly left the room, the complaint continues.

The victim said that Miller had flirted with her previously, but she “thought he was joking.”

According to the complaint, the victim told Tpr. Hotchkiss that she was “so scared and upset about what he did and didn’t know what to do or say.” She stated that she later broke down and started crying and told her therapist.

Miller moved out of the house shortly after the alleged incident.

Miller Arraigned, Awaiting Preliminary Hearing

He was arraigned by Judge Schill on Thursday, May 12, 2017.

He faces a preliminary hearing on May 23 at 1:30 p.m.

Miller remains lodged in the Clarion County Jail on $50,000.00 cash bail.

RELATED: Tennessee Man Accused of Raping 16-Year-Old Girl in Paint Township


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