A local man was recently apprehended following a report of object rape and forcible sodomy that occurred at the beginning of the year.
In January of 2024, a case began to be investigated in which Jason Bernard allegedly sexually assaulted a victim at a house party. The victim explained that Bernard had been making several sexually explicit comments throughout the night to multiple women, including the victim herself.
Bernard had allegedly attempted to follow the victim into the bathroom, making suggestive comments, many times. One time, Bernard and his wife reportedly succeeded in following the victim into the bathroom, where he made comments and advances toward the female, who told investigators that she informed Bernard that she did not want to engage in any sexual activity.
During the time in the bathroom, the victim stated that Bernard forcibly assaulted the victim more than once. After informing investigators that there were cameras in the residence, the videos were collected and reviewed, with many of the events that were described by the victim caught on camera.
In April of 2024, a kit that had been completed by the victim and processed received results, which indicated the presence of unknown male DNA on the victim. It was reported that this appeared consistent with the allegations that the female had made against Bernard.
In May, a warrant was served to Bernard, who provided DNA samples and agreed to discuss the case at the Price City Police Department. Bernard reportedly admitted making sexual comments but proceeded to state that he was in such an intoxicated state the night of the assault that he did not remember the individual acts.
Bernard’s wife had been spoken to several weeks prior and allegedly admitted to entering the bathroom with Bernard and the victim. Bernard was apprehended on a count of object rape, a count of forcible sodomy, both first degree felonies, and a count of forcible sexual abuse, a second degree felony.