CLEARFIELD – All charges were held for court against a man accused of stalking and having inappropriate contact with a hotel clerk following a preliminary hearing Wednesday.
Joshua Leverett, 19, has been charged with indecent assault without consent of other, stalking and harassment. Leverett remains incarcerated at the jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, on Aug. 2, Lawrence Township police received a report about an alleged sexual assault. Police made contact with the victim who related that during her shifts for the past several days, a resident of the EconoLodge who goes by “Joshua” has been following her around and won’t leave her alone.
When she arrived to start her shift Aug. 2 she noticed Leverett sitting on a bench outside the entrance to the EconoLodge. She said he followed her into the lobby area and remained there for the majority of her shift. At first she said they engaged in small talk and Leverett was polite.
As her shift progressed, the victim alleged that Leverett continually referred to how he’s been in jail and asked her several times to go back to his room. She told police she was trying not to be overly rude but did tell Leverett that she wouldn’t be going to his room.
According to the victim, she kept her answers short in hopes that Leverett would “get the hint” and leave her alone. Although she’s not to leave the front desk, she told police she kept asking the bartender if they needed help, as she wanted to get away from Leverett.
Throughout the course of her shift, the victim alleged that she’d pretend to be busy, so that Leverett would leave, which he did not. As part of her duties, the victim said she has to lock entrances into the pool area when it closes at 10 p.m.
When she needed to lock the pool area the victim said she sensed Leverett was close behind her. She explained that the hallway leading to the pool area is very narrow, and she worried that Leverett “would try something.” The victim said in order to lock the pool area you have to pull the door completely closed while turning the key for the dead bolt.
While locking the pool area, she alleged that Leverett came up behind her and put his hand on her shoulders and started to breath on her, which made her feel uncomfortable. She also alleged that he proceeded to reach in front of her and grabbed her hands and asked her to “let me help” while pulling her against him.
The victim told police she turned to her left to get her back against the wall and pushed Leverett away. When she tried to make her way back to the front desk, she alleged that Leverett tried to grab her and she again pushed him away.
When she returned to the front desk she said Leverett asked her if they were going to talk about what happened at the pool. She said she told him nothing happened but wasn’t sure what to say as she feared he’d hurt her before the end of her shift in an hour.
The victim alleged that Leverett remained in the lobby, asking her to come to his room. The victim told police she contacted a co-worker to advise him of the situation and that she was very scared. She also requested that someone walk her to her vehicle for fear of what Leverett might do outside.
According to the victim, Leverett allegedly made continued attempts to get her phone number. She alleged that he left his on a note, asking her to text him when she was at her car.
The victim said once her co-worker came in Leverett left and went down the hallway leading to his room.
After leaving at the end of her shift, the victim said she “broke out crying” and advised her manager of what had happened. When she got home she contacted police.
