Man faces a 34-count indictment on rape and kidnapping charges

A Union County man has been indicted by a grand jury there on 34 criminal charges, including 14 rape counts and nine kidnapping charges going back to 2019, court records show.

Alan Buckland, 36, of Richwood, is accused of committing “sexually violent” offenses against five women, who are identified in the Dec. 14 indictment only by their initials.

Court records show Buckland was being held on $2 million cash-only bond Wednesday at the Tri- County Regional Jail in Mechanicsburg, according to online jail records. His next court date is Jan. 20.

One rape count relates to an alleged female victim’s ability to resist “being substantially impaired” because of a mental or physical condition, or advanced age. Another count involving that woman alleges that Buckland “purposely compelled her to submit by force or threat of force,” court records state.

Union County Prosecuting Attorney David Phillips was in court and unavailable to speak with The Dispatch early Wednesday afternoon, nor could Buckland’s defense attorney listed in court documents be reached.

Phillips told WBNS-TV (Channel 10) that a victim called police after she discovered a video allegedly showing her being strangled and assaulted on Buckland’s cellphone, and told police that “she had no recollection of that.” A warrant was served for the cellphone, which allegedly showed other women Buckland supposedly met over online dating sites being similarly assaulted, the prosecutor said.

“Ultimately, the felonious assault stems from allegations of strangulation, impeding the blood flow to the brain to the point that some of these women were unconscious, which is a very dangerous situation,” Phillips told WBNS. “I mean, they’re really literally seconds away from death, and then [Buckland engages] in sexual activity with them.” wbush@gannett.com @Reporterbush