Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan announced Friday that one current and one former Allentown Police Department officer had been arrested on criminal charges, including rape.
Holihan said in a news release that Jason M. Krasley, 47, of Upper Milford Township, and Evan Weaver, 45, of Weisenberg Township, had raped and sexually assaulted the same victim.
The announcement stated that the incidents took place between 2011 and 2015.
According to Holihan, both are charged with criminal rape and involuntary sexual servitude, which carries a possible penalty of life in prison if found guilty.
Krasley used to be an Allentown police vice officer, and Weaver is currently an Allentown police officer.
Weaver was identified as a sergeant by the Allentown Police Department on Friday, and they said that an internal inquiry had been launched and that he was being placed on administrative leave.
According to a statement from Assistant Chief James Gress, the Allentown Police Department takes all complaints—internal or external—very seriously and looks into them in-depth. Cooperation between the Allentown Police Department and the Lehigh County District Attorney, as well as any other investigative agency, has been and will continue.
According to the news release, Weaver and Krasley are also charged with misdemeanor offenses of prostitution, government oppression, and indecent assault.
Weaver is also accused of felony sexual assault, while Krasley is accused of misdemeanor criminal coercion, felony kidnapping, involuntary deviant sexual relations, and witness intimidation.
According to Holihan, both males were being held at Lehigh County Central Booking on Friday pending arraignment.
The announcement stated that Lehigh County detectives are still investigating the case. To prevent more information about the accusations from being made public right away by the courts, investigators sealed the criminal complaints against the accused.
Krasley was previously arrested on November 15th for allegedly taking $5,500 that was found in an Allentown narcotics operation in May 2019. According to the DA’s office, he has remained free in that case on $100,000 unsecured bond and has a preliminary hearing set for January 29. A district judge will be asked to decide if there is enough evidence to proceed with accusations of theft, receiving stolen property, and tampering with evidence in the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas during that hearing.
Two Allentown police officers who claimed pervasive misbehavior within the Allentown Police Department filed a lawsuit against Krasley last year. According to court documents, a judge first dismissed the claim but later changed his mind and decided on October 30 to allow it to continue.
He was also represented by James Burke, his Bethlehem-based lawyer in that case, for his preliminary arraignment on the new allegations on Friday. After the district attorney’s office objected, Burke told lehighvalleylive.com that Krasley was given the chance to be released on 10% of $750,000 bail. Burke stated that Krasley categorically refutes the accusations, but he had to view the sealed complaint against his client.
Weaver’s legal counsel was not immediately added to court documents.
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You can contact Kurt Bresswein at [email protected].