NORTHAMPTON COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A Bethlehem man was sentenced to 75-100 years in state prison for rape, burglary, and over 20 related charges in relation to three separate incidents that occurred in Northampton County.
As stated in a press release in November 2022, Chief Deputy District Attorney Tatum Wilson prosecuted Clement Swaby, 36, of Bethlehem, Northampton County, and found him guilty on all 26 charges.
According to law enforcement, the first incident occurred on May 19, 2020, shortly before 6:00 a.m., when police responded to the 500 block of Hillside Avenue in Bethlehem for a reported rape.
Officers say the female victim told police she woke up to see a man standing in her bedroom doorway. When she shined a light toward the man, later identified as Swaby, he ran
toward her, holding a knife.
Police say Swaby told the victim not to scream because his friend was downstairs with a gun.
Law enforcement says Swaby then sexually assaulted the victim and afterward told her not to call the police or he’d come back for her.
The second incident occurred on Feb. 22, 2021, shortly before 4:00 a.m., when police were dispatched to the 400 block of McCartney Street in Easton, for a burglary and a suspect armed with a knife, court papers say.
Upon arrival, police said they located two female victims, one who reported an unknown black male entered her bedroom, threatened her with a knife, and verbally threatened to rape her. The other victim stated to police she heard her roommate scream and then heard a man’s voice.
As the release reads, Swaby fled the scene, and one female victim reported an undetermined
amount of cash was stolen from her wallet during the incident.
On March 5, 2021, at approximately 6:42 a.m., police responded to the 400 block of McCartney Street in Easton for a report of a male armed with a knife who attempted to sexually assault two females.
Officers say when they arrive on the scene, two female victims stated the man, later identified as Swaby, entered their bedroom with a knife and demanded they perform a sexual act on each other. Swaby fled the residence after the attempted assault and one victim stated to police a few days later she noticed nearly $500 was missing from her purse, the release reads.
In addition, the other victim contacted police on March 10 after receiving notification her Starbucks gift card was used at a store in New Jersey and she did not authorize that purchase, law enforcement says.
Swaby is also facing charges of sexual assault in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and in Orange County, Florida.
