DONEGAL TOWNSHIP, PA – John E. Berger, 52, from Ligonier, faces several charges following an incident at a local drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. The charges, filed on Friday by the Pennsylvania State Police, include aggravated indecent assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with forcible compulsion, institutional sexual assault, and indecent assault.
Troopers were called to the recovery center in Donegal Township after a female patient reported that Berger, who was both a former patient and a current employee as a behavioral health technician, sexually assaulted her. According to the victim, she first met Berger in March 2023 when they were both receiving treatment. Upon her return for treatment in March 2024, she noticed Berger was now employed at the facility.
The victim alleged that Berger made unwelcome sexual advances and eventually entered her room on April 29, 2024, where he sexually assaulted her. Video surveillance supported the victim’s account, showing Berger entering and exiting her room around the time of the alleged assault. Furthermore,
Berger is accused of attempting to contact the victim via Facebook after the incident, a violation of facility policy which prohibits employee contact with patients for two years post-discharge. Berger is currently presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.