Man pleads guilty to sex assaults of woman and girl
A Lehighton man pleaded guilty in Carbon County court on Thursday admitting sexually assaulting a woman and a girl.
Jonathan Spyros Hortis, 28, pleaded guilty before Judge Steven R. Serfass to one count each of sexual assault, corruption of a minor and two counts of indecent assault.He was originally charged with 23 counts by state police at Lehighton. The sexual assault and corruption counts are felonies.According to an affidavit filed by trooper Joseph Campbell of the Lehighton barracks:On Aug. 4, the victims went to the Lehighton barracks to report the incident.The first incident occurred around the time when the girl was between the ages of 3 and 4 years old and was living in a Lehighton apartment.The most recent occurrence of abuse was between July 7-12, 2014.That crime occurred in Weissport, as well as an apartment within Lehighton, several years before the report of the next incident, according to police documents.In that incident, an adult female was sexually assaulted on July 19, 2014, according to that affidavit.The woman told police Hortis was lying on her bed. She said she did not know how Hortis got into her home, because she thought that she had locked all of the doors.When she walked into her room, he demanded that he wanted to have sex with her, and the victim said no.Hortis then started to get angry, and he poured the victim's beer on the back of her head and pinned the victim's wrist down to the bed, and he held her down against her will, according to police.Hortis then became increasingly physical and more violent, and started punching the victim with hands and fists.The victim sustained bruises to her wrists and on her forehead, as well as near her ears as a result.Hortis also broke a mirror within her bedroom during the assault.The victim said that on Aug. 4, Hortis had approached her on two occasions, once in Weissport, and another in Lehighton, while she was walking with two children.Hortis threatened the victim, "If you go to the cops I will gut all three of you like fish!"The victim said Hortis had a knife when he made the threats on Bankway Street in Lehighton.Serfass deferred sentencing because the charges fall under the provisions of Megan's Law.Hortis will be evaluated by the state sexual offenders assessment board to determine if he is a sexually violent predator.If it is determined he is, then he must register for life as a sexual offender. If not, the registration period is 25 years.Serfass also ordered the adult probation office to prepare a presentence investigation report.Hortis has been in the county prison since his arrest in March 2015.Reporter Terry Ahner contributed to this story.