New Stanton man to serve jail term for sexual assault at Hempfield Halloween party

A New Stanton man was ordered Tuesday to serve nearly two years in jail for the sexual assault of a Mt. Pleasant woman during a 2020 Halloween house party in Hempfield.

Anthony Edward Lucas, 29, was convicted following a jury trial in January of lesser charges of sexual assault and indecent assault by forcible compulsion. The jury found Lucas not guilty of more serious counts of rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.

Lucas’ accuser claimed he forced himself on her in the bathroom during the holiday party attended by more than a half-dozen guests.

The victim testified she unsuccessfully attempted to fight off Lucas’ sexual advances.

In a letter read in court during Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, the woman said she remains scarred by the sexual assault and said she wants to see Lucas jailed for his actions.

“I want to see this through for my daughter, for her to see you have to fight for yourself. It’s not fair when you tell a person no and it doesn’t matter and they take from you whether you want to or not,” she wrote. “No means no. You just can’t take what you want from people.”

Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Ranger said the jury verdict represented its decision to mitigate the incident and asked the judge to sentence Lucas to serve three to six years in prison as called for under state guidelines. A conviction for rape would have carried a four- to eight-year sentence, according to the prosecutor.

The defense asked for a sentence that included no time behind bars, saying Lucas has no prior criminal record or history of sexual misconduct. At trial, Lucas’ defense argued the sexual contact was consensual and the victim’s memory of the incident was hindered by her alcohol consumption.

Lucas told the judge he viewed his actions as a mistake.

“I acknowledge an event took place that forever changed me and my path. It was a mistake that I wished I never experienced,” Lucas said. “I want to be a better person.”

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger imposed what he said was a mitigated sentence that requires Lucas to serve one year, less a day, to two years less a day in the county jail. The judge said Lucas will not be paroled early and is expected to serve his maximum sentence to nearly approach the three-year minimum sentence prosecutors had sought.

Lucas will also be required to serve an additional three years on probation and faces a lifetime requirement to register as a convicted sex offender. He was ordered to report to the jail on Aug. 23 to begin serving his sentence.

“Who knows what the jury thought and I don’t believe the jury mitigated it. The jury found you guilty of sexual assault without consent. My recollection of the evidence is that it was a drunken party. I do think a sentence in the mitigated range is appropriate here. You made a horrible, horrible decision.”