Woman arrested, man being sought in bizarre attack
Charges include assault, rape and kidnapping
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
For nearly 36 hours, police said, a man and woman kept another woman restrained in a residence at an Allegheny County Housing Authority complex as they physically and sexually assaulted her.
They kicked, punched, burned and even doused the 40-year-old victim with bleach — at times keeping her “hog-tied” — before she escaped Tuesday morning and ran to a neighboring residence for help.
Early Wednesday, the woman police accused in the assault, Marnell Watts, 27, of McKees Rocks, was arraigned on four charges. She was being held at the Allegheny County Jail on $100,000 straight bond.
Police were still seeking Edward Darnel Ponton, 32, also of McKees Rocks, and asked for the public’s help in finding him. He drives a gold Buick LeSabre and is known to frequent Stowe and Pittsburgh’s North Side.
According to a criminal complaint, Ponton was charged with aggravated assault, rape and kidnapping as well as 10 other offenses. Allegheny County court records show Ponton has previously been convicted of felony and misdemeanor crimes, including drug and gun offenses.
The victim, identified only as Jane Doe, told police that about 9:30 p.m. Sunday a man — identified as Ponton — stopped his car and asked for a cigarette as she walked along McCoy Road in Stowe. She said no, and then he asked her whether she wanted a ride, according to the complaint. When the woman declined, Ponton got out of the car, grabbed her and forced her into the back seat, she told police.
After driving a short distance, he pulled her out by her hair and into a townhouse in the 300 block of Pleasant Ridge Road, where he sexually assaulted her, police said.
According to the criminal complaint, the victim told investigators that a woman — later identified as Ms. Watts — helped gag and restrain her and then doused her with alcohol and bleach in a bathtub. The victim said the man and woman left her “tied up for hours” while they watched TV and would kick, punch or burn her with incense sticks if she moved or made any noise.
“Jane Doe said she heard them laughing as they burned her with incense,” the criminal complaint said.
On Tuesday morning, the victim was able to break free from the restraints but found that the front
door had been barricaded with furniture. She moved two large tires blocking the back exit and escaped about 8 a.m. while the man and woman were sleeping.
She ran to two women sitting on a nearby porch who helped her and called 911.
Police said Ms. Watts is the lessee of the townh o use. It is unclear whether Ponton lives there. Police secured a search warrant for the residence and found several of the alleged victim’s possessions, including a cellphone, shoes and purse.
The county police detective who authored the criminal complaint wrote that a witness said “something similar happened to her in that house” earlier this year.
On March 18, the witness said, she had to run from the house, leaving behind her cellphone. It was unclear why the woman had to flee the house, but Stowe police confirmed that they had a call about the incident on that date and retrieved the phone. Ponton is named in the report.
Ms. Watts faces a preliminary hearing June 20.