A Whitehall Township man will serve up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to raping a 17-year-old girl in the basement of a Slatington home.
Tristan Zawick, 23, was sentenced Thursday by Lehigh County Judge James Anthony to 10-20 years in a state prison, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan announced Friday in a news release.
The prison sentence will be followed by 5 years of consecutive probation after Zawick’s release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for life, Holihan said.
Zawick had faced a maximum sentence of 54 years in prison, Holihan previously said.
In February, Zawick pleaded guilty to multiple charges in the case, including rape, false imprisonment, strangulation and conspiracy to false imprisonment.
Jacquan Tanasse, 20, of Catasauqua, also pleaded guilty in the case and is scheduled to be sentenced in August.
The two men admitted to raping the girl on Feb. 7, 2025, in the basement of a home in the 200 block of Walnut Street, police said. They restrained her, wrapped a cord around her wrists and stuffed a shirt in her mouth, according to the DA. Tanasse also choked her, authorities said.
This case was investigated by the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office Special Victims Unit and Slatington Police. The cases were prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney Sarah K. Heimbach.