Pottstown man draws prison for raping teen

NORRISTOWN » A Pottstown man faces up to two decades in prison for raping and strangling a teenage girl during a violent assault while she was in his company at a borough residence.

Naguib Abdulla-Rasheed “Hakim” Muhammad, 28, of the 300 block of East

High Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 8 to 20 years in state prison, followed by eight years’ probation. Essentially, Muhammad will be under court supervision for a total of 28 years.

Judge Steven T. O’Neill imposed the sentence as part of a sentencing agreement. Muhammad previously pleaded guilty to felony charges of rape, statutory sexual assault and strangulation in connection with a June 2018 incident at a North Washington Street residence.

The judge ordered Muhammad to have no contact with the victim and to have no unsupervised contact with other minors. Muhammad will be placed under sex offender supervision during the parole and probationary periods.

The girl was 15 and Muhammad was 27 at the time of the incident, according to court papers. Muhammad was acquainted with the girl’s family through his then girlfriend and the assault occurred at a residence the girl was visiting, according to the criminal complaint filed by Pottstown Detective Heather Long.

With the charges, Assistant District Attorney Erika Wevodau alleged Muhammad strangled the girl with one hand to the point of her being unable to breathe and then forcibly sexually assaulted the girl. The victim repeatedly asked Muhammad to stop the assault and he did not, Wevodau alleged.

The girl was treated at an area hospital after the assault. Forensic DNA tests positively linked Muhammad to the rape, according to prosecutors.

Wevodau sought a state prison term against Muhammad.

“The victim is young and this was a forcible rape of a juvenile victim in a residence where she was supposed to feel safe. He was supposed to be caring for her in a limited capacity while she was there,” Wevodau said at the time of Muhammad’s guilty plea.

Wevodau said the girl was traumatized by the incident.