Westfield Man Indicted On Rape Charges
A Westfield man accused of raping a woman in May has been indicted by a Chautauqua County grand jury.
Joseph Trippe was arraigned Monday in Chautauqua County Court on charges of first-degree rape, third-degree rape and second-degree burglary. The indictment was returned last week, a court clerk confirmed Wednesday.
The 20-year-old was identified after officers with the Westfield Police Department were called around 8:40 a.m. on May 27 to a report of a possible sexual assault victim.
An investigation, according to a report by the police department, found that Trippe unlawfully entered a Washington Street home within the village and allegedly engaged in intercourse with a woman without her consent.
The woman, who had been sleeping on a couch prior to the assault, was able to wake up others within the home and who came to her assistance.
Trippe was taken into custody May 30 after a warrant for his arrest was signed. He was transported to Chautauqua County Jail for centralized arraignment.
As of Thursday morning, Trippe remained in jail on $75,000 cash bail.