17th Jehovah’s Witness Charged in PA Abuse Probe

Timothy Willochell, a 54-year-old Jehovah’s Witness from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, has been charged with multiple counts of child sexual abuse for incidents involving two children between 1989 and 1997. The charges include aggravated indecent assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, and corruption of minors. Prosecutors specified that the alleged abuse happened when the victims were alone and vulnerable, during holiday visits and at summer camp, but not at locations directly connected to the religious group. Willochell is the 17th member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses charged in a statewide grand jury investigation into abuse within the organization since 2022. He was arraigned with bail set at $170,000, barred from contact with minors, and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on July 21. Authorities continue to investigate allegations of abuse among Jehovah’s Witnesses.