Centre County man accused of sexual assault while out on bail for similar charges
A Centre County man was arrested Wednesday on felony charges of sexual assault and strangulation, crimes he’s accused of committing while out on bail for similar charges filed earlier this year.
Moncef Guen Jr., 24, was arrested and accused of sexual assault for the second time since May. After his first arrest, District Judge Steven Lachman released Guen on $100,000 unsecured bail.
Once he was accused Wednesday of forcing a woman to perform oral sex, District Judge Don Hahn set bail at $85,000, which Guen posted through a bondsman. He was released early Thursday from the Centre County Correctional Facility, Warden Glenn Irwin told the Centre Daily Times.
But he returned later in the day. Centre County Judge Julia Rater revoked Guen’s bail at the request of Centre County prosecutors, who described him as a “tremendous safety risk to the community” and himself.
In one of his strongest public statements about a judge since being elected, Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna said he found it “unfathomable that any district justice would grant bail in a case with these facts.”
Cantorna said there was a request for Guen to be denied bail during his preliminary arraignment. In addition to the previous sexual assault and strangulation case, Cantorna said his office has information about a “possible third victim.”
A person who answered the phone Thursday morning at Hahn’s office said the judge would not discuss the case and an email was not answered. A spokeswoman for the administrative arm of the state Supreme Court — which provides support to courts statewide — said the office has “nothing further to add at this time.”
A message was also left with defense lawyer Steve Trialonas.
The latest charges filed against Guen accused him of sexually assaulting a woman earlier this week at his apartment in Ferguson Township. The two had previous consensual sexual relations, township police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.
But the woman told investigators Guen became upset when she told him they should no longer see each other, police wrote. He’s accused of then strangling and sexually assaulting her.
She was seen by officers with bruising on her neck and jaw, as well as an abrasion on her lip, police wrote.
In addition to sexual assault and strangulation, Guen was also charged Wednesday with a felony count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and a misdemeanor count of indecent assault.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 9.
Guen was listed Thursday as an undergraduate student in Penn State’s directory. He is excluded from campus and all university events, programs and activities, university spokeswoman Lisa Powers wrote Thursday in an email to the CDT.
“When serious allegations like these are made and are reported to the University, they are addressed through the Student Accountability process,” she wrote. “The Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response will review the allegations of misconduct and determine appropriate next steps. The university may take student conduct action in addition to, and separate from, the charges filed by police.”
This story was originally published October 3, 2024 at 12:46 PM.