Downingtown Woman Silent As Teen Was Sexually Abused: Chesco DA

West Chester PA

20 October, 2021

11:27 AM

Description

DOWNINGTOWN, PA — A Downingtown man is charged with sexually abusing a child, as is a woman who Chester County's DA said knew about the abuse and did nothing to stop it. The Chester County District Attorney's Office and Downingtown Police said on Wednesday they have charged Jason Lawhun, 42, of Downingtown, in connection to the sexual abuse of a child when she was 15 to 16. The alleged abuse began when the child was 11, according to police reports. Jason Lawhun is charged with multiple counts of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and a long list related offenses that include six first-degree felonies and six second-degree felonies, according to court records. The DA's Office said he is being held at Chester County Prison on $250,000 cash bail. Also charged is Elskamin Lawhun, 48, of Downingtown. She is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a third-degree felony. A preliminary hearing for both co-defendants is scheduled for Nov. 18. Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said, "Jason Lawhun committed unspeakable, horrific crimes against this child and we will hold him accountable to the full extent of the law. It took courage, fortitude, and resilience for the victim to report to her school guidance counselor — a mandated reporter — what happened." Ryan said the child told Elskamin Lawhun about the abuse, and the defendant did nothing to stop it, so the abuse continued. "Elskamin Lawhun violated her duty of care to the victim when she failed to notify authorities. Children need and deserve protection." On Sept. 29, Downingtown Police were contacted by a school principal who told them that a 16-year-old student reported being sexually abused by the defendant. The victim told investigators that the abuse occurred in Downingtown when she was 15-16, but started at age 11 while living in another state. Investigators were told that Jason Lawhun sexually assaulted the victim multiple times and sent the victim nude photos of himself. According to the report, he forced the victim to create nude images and videos to send him. The victim reported that she told Elskamin Lawhun about the abuse, but nothing was done to stop it. Chester County Detectives are investigating. Assistant District Attorney Christine Abatemarco is the assigned prosecutor. Call Chester County Detectives at 610-344-6866 if you have any info about this case. Call Childline if you suspect child abuse: 1-800-932-0313. The District Attorney encourages adults to consider taking a Stewards of Children class to learn how to protect the children around them. The training teaches how to recognize, react, and respond to child sexual abuse. Contact County Coordinator Katie Walters at [email protected] or 610-344-6115. Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the school counselor was being charged. That is incorrect. The school counselor assisted the victim. Patch regrets the error. Make sure you know what's happening in your town. Sign up to get Patch emails and don't miss any local news: https://patch.com/subscribe.