A 41-year-old man was taken into custody on Wednesday night for trying to rape and abduct a woman in the parking lot of the Redner’s in Middletown Township.
Daniel R. Pierson, from Yardley, was taken into custody in less than 24 hours after the scary incident and accused of trying to commit kidnapping to aid a felony, trying to commit kidnapping to cause harm or fear, trying to commit rape by force, trying to commit rape by threatening force, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, and three counts of simple assault.
Pierson was brought before Magisterial District Judge Frank W. Peranteau Sr. on Wednesday night and was sent to Bucks County Correctional Facility under $1 million bail.
At 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, officers from the Middletown Township Police Department were sent to the Redner’s at 1361 Lincoln Highway to look into a report of an attempted rape and assault of a female. Responding officers talked to the victim.
The victim said she parked her truck towards the back of the parking lot, and almost right after getting out, was grabbed from behind by a white man, described as being about 6 feet tall with a beard and short/balding hair and wearing dark-colored jeans and a black t-shirt.
The victim struggled to free herself from the man’s grip and began to scream, but the man wouldn't let go. During the struggle, the man managed to pull down the victim’s pants, yelled at her to be quiet, and punched her in the face, causing a cut and swelling. The man lifted and moved the woman towards his truck, but she continued to scream, which frightened off the assailant.
The man ran back to his truck, which the victim described as an older model Ford F-150 or F-250, blue in color, and full of rust and dents.
The victim said the attack happened between 7:50 p.m. and 8:10 p.m. Investigators were able to identify a dark blue, older model Ford F-250 that passed through the area at 7:58 p.m. The truck was traced back to someone associated with Pierson, who matched the description of the attacker. Pierson is known to police to be a methamphetamine user.
On Wednesday at 2:43 p.m., the truck was found at a residence in the 1500 block of Newport Road in Bristol Township. Pierson was apprehended after leaving the home, driving a different vehicle. He was wearing a black t-shirt and dark-colored jeans.
This case was investigated by the Middletown Township Police Department, led by Detective Ryan Morrison, and is assigned for prosecution to First Assistant District Attorney Edward M. Louka.
