Susquehanna County man charged with raping unconscious teen girl pleads guilty to misdemeanor
Jun. 2—A Susquehanna County man charged with raping an unconscious teen girl entered a guilty plea Wednesday to a misdemeanor.
Joseph Ranlett, 21, of Thompson, pleaded guilty to unlawful restraint, a first-degree misdemeanor, for holding the 15-year-old girl in her room in 2019, and exposing her to "serious bodily injury," according to the plea.
Ranlett's attorney, Michael Brier, said during a virtual hearing before Judge Michael J. Barrasse in Lackawanna County Court that the plea they agreed to "has nothing to do with sexual contact." Reached after the hearing, Brier declined to comment.
"This was a challenging case for several reasons and after discussion with the victim and her mother, with their consent, we felt it was the appropriate disposition," District Attorney Mark Powell said.
Forest City police initially charged Ranlett with rape of an unconscious victim and other offenses on Aug. 26 on allegations he sexually assaulted the victim while she slept at a home in Vandling. The Times-Tribune does not name victims of sexual assault.
The victim disclosed during an interview in October at the Children's Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania that she awoke to Ranlett having sex with her. In an interview with police, Ranlett admitted having sex but believed she had wanted to until she woke up and told him to stop.
A sentencing date is not yet set.
Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9100, x5187; @jkohutTT on Twitter.
