The Kittanning barracks of the Pennsylvania State Police announced this morning that a Kittanning man charged with assaulting and raping women is now in custody.
Details on the arrest have not been made public yet, but troopers have confirmed that 24-year-old Zachary William Baum of Kittanning was taken into custody last night at 11:40 PM. Baum is accused of sexually assaulting and strangling several women over the last few years. He would get to know them through text messages sent over social media and would arrange meet ups where he would force himself on them and strangle the victims. He is also charged with violating a Protection From Abuse order that was filed against him for calling one of his victims in an attempt to have her drop the charges against him.
For an incident in 2019, Baum is facing charges of rape by forcible compulsion and of an unconscious victim, unlawful contact with minors, corruption of minors, two counts of strangulation, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, four misdemeanor counts of indecent assault, two counts of simple assault and open lewdness and four counts of harassment. In another case in 2021, he faces similar charges along with stalking to cause fear, unlawful restraint, and aggravated indecent assault.
No word yet on when he will go before a judge for a preliminary hearing.
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