Convicted rapist receives lengthy sentence

Albert to serve 15 to 31 years for assault on sleeping woman

CLEARFIELD -- A Clearfield County man was given a lengthy state prison sentence on Friday for raping a woman who was asleep in a neighbor's home.

After a two-day trial in September, Douglas Carl Albert, 54, of Curwensville, was found guilty of rape - forcible compulsion, sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse - forcible compulsion and related offenses for an incident on March 31, 2021.

He was back in court on Friday to be sentenced by Judge Paul E. Cherry.

The victim's mother addressed the judge, explaining the impact of the crime on her daughter.

She described the victim as a "free spirit" who always had a smile that could light up a room. The night of the assault, she called her mother, crying so hard she could not understand her.

She then said, "I was raped," the mother stated. She had just turned 18 at the time. She asked her mother to stay on the phone with her as she went to the hospital, where a rape kit was done before she went home.

When she got home, the victim asked her mother, "Why did this happen to me?" Her mother said she just held her daughter and told her it was not her fault.

She was changed after the assault and became a girl with a "blank stare," her mother said.

"I thought she was going to give up on life and I was never going to see that free spirit again," her mother said.

Luckily, the victim realized she needed help and went to a therapist to deal with the trauma. "Now she can smile again," her mother said.

The victim's mother called her daughter "brave" for testifying at the trial and stated she was proud of her.

The victim's mother asked Cherry to give Albert the maximum sentence.

Albert's attorney, Jendi Schwab, supplied the judge with 14 letters in defense of Albert from family members, friends and even other inmates who served time with him at the county jail. They described him as being a helpful, caring individual.

Albert's daughter also addressed the court, praising Albert for his role in her life. As she spoke, she cried, and Albert began crying, too.

Schwab argued that some of the charges should be merged for sentencing, while District Attorney Ryan Sayers disagreed, saying the charges represent different acts performed on the girl.

Cherry noted that he read the letters, skimming the longer ones, but said he couldn't do what most of the people wanted, which was for Albert to be sent home.

He said he was considering their words but said this "is a very bad, serious case" and he also had to take into account the impact on the victim.

He then sentenced Albert to 15.5 to 31 years in state prison with 11 years additional probation. Albert must complete sex offender counseling.

Even though an evaluation determined he was not a sexually violent predator, he must still register with authorities under Megan's Law.

After court, Sayers said the victim deserves a lot of respect for coming forward to report the crime.

"As a result of her actions, a predator is now in jail," Sayers said.

He thanked state police, specifically Trooper Matthew Peacock for his work on the case and former Deputy District Attorney Trudy Lumadue "for working so hard to get this conviction."

According to the affidavit of probable cause, the victim reported that she and a friend rode around for a while that evening, as she drank four Arnold Palmers.

When she got back, about 11 p.m., to another friend's apartment where she was staying, she went to sleep in a bedroom.

She was awakened by Albert touching her below the waist. He then raped her, she told authorities.

The victim said she didn't move or say anything because she was afraid he would "beat her up." She explained that she "just froze" while he was assaulting her.

When he was done, he left the residence. The victim then went to another neighbor and told him what happened. He urged her to call the police, which she did.

She noted that when she went into the bedroom, the apartment door was locked, but said Albert had a key because he let her friend's dog out occasionally.

A sexual assault kit was used to collect physical evidence and investigators took a DNA swab from Albert which matched the samples taken from the victim, according to the report.