A jury convicted a West Chester man this afternoon for his role in a burglary and assault in East Bradford last April.
William H. Strode, Jr., 26, was found guilty of Criminal Attempt to Commit Rape, Aggravated Assault, and Burglary by a jury of six men and six women after two hours of deliberation. Judge Thomas Gavin issued jury instructions after both attorneys gave closing arguements this morning. The jury returned its verdict at 14:00. Assistant District Attorney Thomas Ost-Prisco had argued for Strode's bail to be revoked, citing the defendant's threats that he made in Judge Anthony Sarcione's court which were directed at the judge, police, victim, and his previous attorney. (That particular outburst was what caused the case to be reassigned in the first place.) However, Judge Gavin ruled that since the $50,000 cash bail had not been posted, it was, for all intents and purposes, moot.
Sentencing is scheduled for sometime in mid-October; after he had initially pled guilty in January, Strode had completed an evaluation through the Sex Offenders Assessment Board. Despite withdrawing his initial guilty plea, both sides agreed it was unneccesary to "reinvent the wheel" and order a new evaluation.
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