Hunker man not guilty of sexual assault
Sep. 12—A Westmoreland County jury on Tuesday acquitted a Hunker man who was charged with sexual assault.
After more than three hours of deliberations, jurors found Dakota Archibeque, 21, not guilty of indecent assault and simple assault in connection with accusations made by an 18-year-old woman.
"I knew exactly what happened and that words cannot express how happy I am," Archibeque said as he left the courtroom following his acquittal. "Words of truth can lift anything free. I am just happy the verdict is on my side. You don't know how happy I was when I heard the words 'not guilty.' "
Archibeque's accuser testified she was physically assaulted by him in a secluded, open field during a Sept. 6, 2021, field party in South Huntingdon.
Archibeque testified the accusations were false.
Assistant Public Defender Jack Manderino argued for an acquittal, telling jurors the accuser's testimony was inconsistent with what she told police two years ago. Manderino also said the woman's story should not be believed based on her own testimony that she was drunk at the party and that her memory was unreliable.
"There was no assault," Manderino said. "All you have is the word of the victim. You also have what Mr. Archibeque said."
Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Echard told jurors they could convict Archibeque based only on his accuser's testimony.
"She knows what happened to her. She was assaulted. She was violated," Echard said.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich by email at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .
