Rossman

A city man who worked as a school crossing guard faces rape charges after he was accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.

Ronald Richard Rossman, 73, was arraigned Wednesday morning before Magisterial District Judge Benjamin F. Jones on two felony counts of rape forcible compulsion, three felony counts of sexual assault, felony counts of statutory sexual assault – 11 years older, unlawful contact with a minor – sexual offenses, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse forcible compulsion, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a person less than 16 years of age and corruption of minors, along with a misdemeanor charge of indecent assault of a person less than 16 years of age.

He was released from custody after a professional bondsman posted $250,000 in surety bonds, according to court documents.

The charges against Rossman came after a monthslong investigation into the allegations made by the victim that he forced sex acts on her while the two were in his garage.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, police were dispatched to UPMC Altoona on Aug. 20, 2024, for a report of a past sexual assault of a 15-year-old female.

Police talked with the girl and her mother, with the victim naming the man who assaulted her as “Ronald.” She told police she knows him because he is an Altoona Area School District crossing guard, the report states.

Rossman was identified after the victim’s mother said she was familiar with “Ronald” and pointed out his house on Google maps.

Police spoke with the girl and her mother, noting the victim has developmental delays.

When asked what happened between her and Rossman, the victim said she would walk by his house and offer to help him with hard work.

One day in July, he asked her to follow him to his garage, where he closed and locked the door. The victim told police she said “no” when he wanted to “do the nasty” with him, but he forced himself on her. She said he made her get on the bed of his pickup truck, took her clothes off and forced himself on her.

The most recent assault was on Aug. 12, 2024, she told police, stating that four or five assaults happened between the July incident and Aug. 12.

On Aug. 13, 2024, he made her take a pregnancy test, the victim told police, stating he made her pee in a cup in the shed behind his garage.

Her mother told police she received a picture of the pregnancy test and that’s when she found out about the assaults.

The victim’s mother said she went to Rossman’s house to confront him over the pregnancy test. He admitted she took the test in his shed, but claimed the victim asked him to buy it for her.

During an interview with the Children’s Advocacy Center, the victim provided more details about the assaults, including details of sex tools and a white table that he would use, police reported.

During an interview, Rossman told police the victim has a “new problem” every summer and she had recently been telling him she is pregnant and wanted a pregnancy test. He admitted he bought the test, stating he thought if it came back negative she would drop the subject.

Police said that Rossman’s story was inconsistent, noting at one point he told them he keeps the girl out of his garage, but at different times during the interview he said she was in the garage with him.

Rossman also claimed the girl exposed herself to him, but he never told his wife or the girl’s mother.

On Sept. 3, 2024, police received a search warrant for the garage. During the search, police reportedly found two empty bottles of alcohol on top of a cabinet and a full bottle in a small refrigerator. The drink was pink in color like the victim described, police reported. In addition, police found sex tools as described by the victim, along with suspected marijuana and burnt marijuana residue and a suspected marijuana joint.

Police also found the white table as described by the victim. Lab results of swabs taken from the white table turned up the victim’s DNA, court documents state.

Rossman’s preliminary hearing is set for May 28 before Jones.