July 7, 2026, 5:09 a.m. ET
A 45-year-old Millcreek Township man is facing new sexual assault charges involving 23-year-old woman who was a teen at the time.The man was previously charged with the rape of a child, who is now 11 years old.A dispute over bond had developed in the first case against the defendant, Dustin L. Thornton, whose overall bond is higher with the new charges.
A 45-year-old Millcreek Township man already charged with child rape is facing new charges of sexual assault in a case that police said involves a woman who was in her late teens at the time.
The defendant, Dustin L. Thornton, was charged on July 2 with rape, two counts of aggravated indecent assault and five other counts in a case in which the woman is now 23, according to arrest records. He is accused of sexually assaulting her from September 2020 to July 2021, starting when she was 18.
In the earlier case, Thornton was charged on June 23 with rape of a child, two counts of aggravated indecent assault and eight other counts in a case that involves a girl who is now 11. He is accused of sexually assaulting her from September 2023 to September 2025, starting when she was 9.
Millcreek Township police charged Thornton in both cases.
The investigation in the earlier case started in April, when the 11-year-old girl left a note for a relative about Thornton sexually assaulting her. The relative contacted the Crime Victim Center of Erie in April, “which prompted this investigation,” police said in the complaint.
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The investigation in the second case started on May 28, when the 23-year-old woman reported to Millcreek police that Thornton had sexually assaulted her in 2020 and 2021, according to the criminal complaint and affidavit of probable cause in that case.
“The victim said that she never consented to any of it,” according to the affidavit.
Thornton is accused in both cases of making statements to discourage the girl and the woman from reporting him.
He told the girl that, among other things, she would be “made fun of at school” if others found out, according to the criminal complaint.
In the other case, the complaint states that the 23-year-old woman told police that Thornton said “that no one would believe her and that she would be labeled a liar.”
Earlier case includes fight over bond
Thornton was in the Erie County Prison on a total bond of $250,000 on July 6, according to court records.
Millcreek District Justice Laurie Mikielski initially set bond at $50,000 in the earlier case but increased it to $150,000 after Thornton showed up without a lawyer at what was scheduled as a preliminary hearing on June 30.
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A bail bondsman posted the $50,000 bond on June 24, the day after Thornton was charged in the first case. The posting kept Thornton out of the Erie County Prison until Mikielski tripled the bond amount at the preliminary hearing on June 30.
The hike led to an objection from Thornton’s lawyer, Justin Panighetti. He said in a bond motion that he had told Mikielski’s office that he represents Thornton but was unable to attend the June 30 preliminary hearing.
In the new case, North East District Judge Scott Hammer set bond at $100,000 when he arraigned Thornton on July 3. Hammer was on duty for the Fourth of July holiday.
Panighetti filed his bond motion on July 1. He wants a judge in Erie County Common Pleas Court to reduce Thornton’s bond to $50,000 — the original amount that Mikielski set.
No hearing on the bond request had been scheduled as of July 6. The status of the request remained unclear in light of Thornton’s bond getting increased to $250,000 because of the new case. Panighetti could not be immediately reached for comment.
Thornton’s preliminary hearing in the first case had been set for July 14. Court records show the hearing has been canceled and new date not yet set as of late the afternoon of July 6.
Hammer is now assigned both cases.
Mikielski recused herself on July 6 and Hammer accepted the transfer of the cases, according to court records. Her recusal notice provides no reason for why she stepped away from the cases.
Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@usatodayco.com or 814-870-1813.