Pennsylvania District Attorney Chad Salsman, who serves the people of Bradford County in the commonwealth, has been criminally charged for sexually assaulting multiple women. Salsman is only the latest person in a position of power to face multiple allegations of sexual assault or sexual harassment in recent years.
Pennsylvania District Attorney Chad Salsman has only been in office one year. The allegations made so far appear to be based on instances of sexual assault that were said to have occurred prior to Salsman taking office. According to the investigation to date, Salsman’s sexual assault victims were women he represented in criminal cases as well as mothers he was retained to represent in child welfare cases.
The sexual abuse allegations lodged against the Pennsylvania District Attorney in Bradford County are highly disturbing:
- Pressured women into sex acts in his office, including on his desk, and elsewhere
- Forced women into sex acts in his office, including on his desk, and elsewhere
- Groped women in his office, including on his desk, and elsewhere
- Sought nude photos from women through pressure or coercion
On the criminal side of the matter, the Pennsylvania District Attorney alleged to have sexually assaulted numerous women has been charged with:
- Three counts of sexual assault
- Five counts of indecent assault
- Five counts of witness intimidation
- Five counts of obstruction of justice
- Five counts of promoting prostitution
In addition to criminal prosecution of perpetrators, people who are survivors of sexual assault have another course of action they can take in order to obtain justice. This is pursuing a civil lawsuit against the perpetrator of sexual assault.
According to allegations coming from multiple women, Salsman would pressure them to “keep quiet” about his attacks. In addition, people who had worked for the Pennsylvania District Attorney’s law firm reported that they repeatedly witnessed female clients leaving his office in tears. Evidently, staff members chalked the emotional state of these women up to the fact that they were involved in challenging criminal or child welfare cases. It’s unclear if any former staff member reported Salsman to law enforcement officials or attorney licensing authorities in Pennsylvania.
Apparently, these allegations never arose during his campaign for District Attorney. If they did arise, the contentions about the pervasive sexual assault of women evidently didn’t become an issue of consequence during the election campaign.
Salsman was arrested and taken on what many people call a “perp walk” in front of the media and members of the public. This is the standard practice in the aftermath of an arrest in a case of public note. The prosecution pointed out that Salsman was not specifically selected for a perp as a means of retaliating against him.
Thus far, Salsman maintains he is not guilty of the various allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment. He stated that we will vigorously defend himself. He has also stated that he does not intend to resign from his office. He did note that courtroom work would be turned over to other attorneys in his office for the time being. However, he advised that he intends to continue to run his office and make policy decisions for it.
Evidently, prosecutors told Salsman they would consider pursuing lesser charges if he resigned from office. It appears that the Pennsylvania District Attorney has rebuffed such an offer as of this time.
If you’re the victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, the caring, committed, experienced, and tenacious legal team at The Doan Law Office is here for you. We’re a nationwide law firm, with offices located from coast to coast across the United States. This includes an office serving the people of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania at:
We also maintain a national 24-hour sexual assault lawyer hotline at (800) 349-0000.
You can schedule an initial consultation and case evaluation any time that is convenient for you at any one of our offices, at your home, or at any location that works for you. We can also schedule a virtual appointment with you online. There is never a charge for an initial consultation with a Doan Law Firm sexual assault lawyer.
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