Apr 5, 2002 By Jennifer Harr 4 min read

In the second day of testimony at Jason C. Hatter’s indecent assault trial, Fayette County jurors heard from another woman who accused him of a similar crime. The woman testified that in an unrelated matter two moths before Hatter allegedly assaulted the victim in the present case, he picked her up on her way to work, and asked her to perform sexual acts on him.

The woman testified that she was walking along Easy Street in Uniontown when Hatter offered her a ride. Thinking that she knew him, the woman testified she got into his car, a red Ford Probe, and told him she was going to the Uniontown Mall.

At the end of Easy Street, however, she testified that Hatter did not make a left hand turn to head to the mall, rather made a right hand turn and headed toward the city. Although he did take her to work, the woman testified Hatter was touching himself during the trip.

When they got to the mall parking lot, the woman testified that Hatter asked her to perform the sex act, and when she refused, he grabbed her breast.

State police also filed charges in that matter, of indecent assault, indecent exposure and disorderly conduct.

That case has yet to be prosecuted, but Assistant District Attorney Phyllis A. Jin asked that jurors be allowed to hear details of that case because it was substantially similar to the allegations for which Hatter, 23, is presently on trial.

Hatter, in this present case, is charged with kidnapping, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, indecent assault and indecent exposure for allegedly forcing a woman into his car in Dunbar.

Trooper Thomas Broadwater alleged that Hatter took the 22-year-old woman to a remote area in Dunbar, propositioned her to perform a sex act, and when she refused, grabbed her breast. The alleged victim in this case testified Wednesday that she did not willingly go with Hatter and was fearful during the May 28, 2001, encounter.

Judge Steve P. Leskinen ruled Thursday morning that the Uniontown victim could testify, noting that there were similarities between the two incidents.

He disallowed testimony relating to a second May 2001 incident in which Hatter is charged with multiple counts of indecent exposure for allegedly exposing himself to a bus full of California Area High School girls’ softball players. That case has also not been prosecuted.

Leskinen said that those allegations stemmed from a “sufficiently different type of incident,” and could have served to inflame jurors.

Assistant Public Defender Mary Campbell Spegar argued against admitting testimony on either of the other alleged incidents.

When the victim from the March 2001 incident in Uniontown took the stand, Spegar asked the woman about lies she told police. The woman had initially told authorities that she knew Hatter, but later confessed that she did not.

Spegar also asked the woman if Hatter forced her to perform any type of sex act, and the woman testified he did not.

The defense attorney also questioned Broadwater about several inconsistencies in the statement of the Dunbar victim and her testimony offered in court.

The Dunbar victim testified that she told police the color of Hatter’s hair after the alleged assault, but Broadwater testified she told him that she could not see her assailant’s hair color because he wore a baseball cap.

Broadwater also testified his report had no mention of the alleged victim’s testimony that she resisted Hatter, but the woman testified that she did.

After a day and a half of testimony, Jin rested the prosecution’s case yesterday afternoon.

Spegar presented two defense witnesses, including Hatter’s father, Keith, who testified that contrary to the Dunbar victim’s testimony, his son’s car did not have child proof locks on either of it’s two doors.

Spegar is expected to present additional defense witnesses when the case resumes this morning.

At Spegar’s motion, Leskinen said he would take under advisement a request to dismiss the charges against Hatter. Spegar said prosecutors failed to prove their charges in the evidence presented thusfar.