VICTORY TWP., Pa. (EYT) – An Ohio man is facing felony charges for the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl at a gathering in Victory Township.
Court documents indicate 45-year-old Samuel Stam Hollenberger IV, of Cortland, Ohio, was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Matthew T. Kirtland at 10:02 a.m. on July 28, on the following charges:
– Rape Forcible Compulsion, Felony 1
– Statutory Sexual Assault: 11 Years Older, Felony 1
– Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse Forcible Compulsion, Felony 1 (two counts)
– Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse Person Less Than 16 Yrs Age, Felony 1
– Unlawful Contact With Minor – Sexual Offenses, Felony 1
– Aggravated Indecent Assault – Forcible Compulsion, Felony 2 (two counts)
– Aggravated Indecent Assault – Comp. Less Than 16, Felony 2
– Corruption Of Minors – Defendant Age 18 or Above, Felony 3
– Lure Child Into Motor Vehicle, Misdemeanor 1
– Indecent Assault Forcible Compulsion, Misdemeanor 1 (two counts)
– Indecent Assault Person Less 16 Years Age, Misdemeanor 2
He was released after posting a 10% surety on $50,000.00 monetary bail.
The charges stem from a report of a rape of a minor at a family camp situated along Old Route 8, in Victory Township, Venango County.
Initial Report
According to a criminal complaint, around 7:39 a.m. on July 25, Franklin-based State Police received a report that Samuel Stam Hollenberger IV had raped a known 13-year-old female victim at a residence in Victory Township, Venango County, during a family gathering.
The complaint notes the individual who made the report was the victim’s father, and they were immediately directed to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for a sexual assault exam.
Police then proceeded to the scene to initiate an investigation.
Witness Interview
According to the complaint, at the scene, police interviewed a known witness who reported seeing Hollenberger and the victim in Hollenberger’s truck putting their shirts on. The witness then told the victim to get out of the truck, and the victim ran to a known woman.
The witness told police when he asked Hollenberger what was going on, Hollenberger was “stumbling for his words” and eventually admitted he was touching the victim’s chest. He also reported that Hollenberger denied knowing the victim’s age. The witness said he then told Hollenberger he was going to wake the victim’s father up and began to walk away, at which point Hollenberger reportedly sped off in the truck.
The witness also stated that the victim had become “emotional” after getting out of the truck.
The complaint notes the witness told police that Hollenberger called his phone approximately 30 times after fleeing the scene, and said he answered two of the calls.
He reported Hollenberger was “trying to explain himself” and offered to come back “to receive family justice.” He also told police Hollenberger threatened to kill himself and said he couldn’t “put his family through this,” according to the complaint.
Other Interviews
Police then spoke to a known man who was also at the scene, the complaint states.
The known man said that he didn’t see anything firsthand and noted they had been drinking at the gathering. He reported that Hollenberger had also called him after fleeing the scene and had admitted to touching the victim’s chest, but had denied raping her.
Police then spoke to the known woman the victim had reportedly run to after exiting the truck.
According to the complaint, the woman reported that after the victim ran to her, she immediately began crying. When the woman asked the victim what was wrong, the victim reportedly said Hollenberger told her he “couldn’t help himself.” The known woman then asked the victim if they had sex, and the victim responded “yes.”
The known woman noted the victim was very emotional, so she had a second known woman come to speak to her. She reported that after Hollenberger left, he called the witness several times, and she then ended up talking to Hollenberger on the witness’ phone. She told police she had told Hollenberger to stop where he was. She also noted Hollenberger was talking about coming back to “get his (expletive) whooped,” and was begging them “not to ruin his family over this,” and was saying it was the victim’s fault.
Police also interviewed the second known woman who reportedly stated that when she spoke to the victim, she told her that Hollenberger had sex with her.
A 16-year-old male at the scene was also interviewed.
He reportedly told police that he was up with the victim, her brother, and Hollenberger until around 3:30 a.m. He stated the victim had been drinking beer and liquor and was so impaired she “could hardly stand on her own,” the complaint states.
According to the complaint, a second known man who was at the scene also spoke to Hollenberger on the phone and reported Hollenberger said “I didn’t do it,” and denied raping the victim.
The individual said he told Hollenberger that the victim was going to the hospital, so police would find out if it was true, and Hollenberger reportedly only responded by saying his “life is ruined.” The individual also told police Hollenberger said he would “come back and shoot himself in the head” and was also talking about “going to jail and bail,” according to the complaint.
Interview With the Victim’s Father
According to the complaint, when police spoke to the victim’s father, by phone, he reported that he was awakened by “chaos” at the residence in Victory Township that morning. He said he was told Hollenberger had “done something” to the victim, so he called 9-1-1. He then took the victim to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh for a sexual assault exam.
He told police the victim was very emotional but hadn’t disclosed anything specific to him. He also noted Hollenberger had known the victim for years and would know that she was a minor.
Police also interviewed a third known woman who was at the hospital with the victim and the victim’s father. The woman told police that the witness had told her that Hollenberger had raped her. She also told police that the victim told her Hollenberger had “forced her” to have sex with him in his vehicle.
Interview with Hollenberger
Around 12:49 p.m. on July 25, Hollenberger was interviewed via phone on a recorded line.
According to the complaint, Hollenberger initially said he “wasn’t sure what was going on,” and told police he “tried going back.” He reportedly denied doing anything sexual with the victim and said he went to bed in his truck alone around 2:00 a.m.
Hollenberger said there was drinking at the gathering that he had met the victim before, although he hadn’t been to a family gathering in a number of years. He also reportedly stated he “only left the scene because it was morning, no other reason.” He told police the victim must have come to the truck while he was sleeping.
The complaint notes Hollenberger asked about the results of the sexual exam and wanted to know the allegations against him. He then said he was going to speak to an attorney and make arrangements for a further interview.
SANE Nurse Report
Around 2:30 p.m., police spoke to the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) nurse that performed the sexual assault exam on the victim.
According to the complaint, the nurse told police the victim reported that Hollenberger had asked her to go to his truck with him to help him look for a lighter, but when they got in the truck, he began rubbing her neck and shoulders and kissing her, saying he “couldn’t help himself.”
The victim said Hollenberger then pushed her down on the seat and got on top of her. She reported that she tried to push him away, but he grabbed her wrists and pinned them down by her sides, then began to sexually assault her, the complaint indicates.
The complaint notes the SANE nurse also told police the victim had injuries consistent with sexual trauma.
The charges were initially filed through Magisterial District Judge Matthew T. Kirtland’s office on July 25.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a..m. on August 11 in Venango County Central Court with Judge Kirtland presiding.
EDITOR’S NOTE 1: Extreme graphic details were not included due to the sexual nature of the alleged crimes.
EDITOR’S NOTE 2: Several details were removed from this article to help protect the identity of the victims.
