28-05-2025
Brandon Rumbaugh, decorated Marine veteran charged with raping girl, denied bond
Brandon Rumbaugh, a decorated Marine veteran, double amputee and motivational speaker from the Pittsburgh area who is charged with raping a 13-year-old girl, was denied bond at a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
Rumbaugh was charged with several felonies, including rape, sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault, after a 13-year-old girl told police Rumbaugh had sex with her multiple times at his Pleasant Hills home.
Attorney says jail isn't "equipped" to deal with Rumbaugh's injury
Rumbaugh wasn't present in court because his attorney David Shrager said the jail couldn't get him there. Rumbaugh lost his legs in Afghanistan when he stepped on an IED, and Shrager says Rumbaugh is being held in the Allegheny County Jail without his prosthetic legs.
"That's one of the difficulties that we're facing here. We're dealing with someone who's a double amputee, who has special medical needs and medication needs, and quite frankly, I don't know that the jail is really capable of handling that in the appropriate way," Shrager said. "You saw they weren't even able to bring him here safely today. So he was not here today in court to be here, because the jail felt they couldn't bring him here safely because they're not equipped to deal with someone with such a traumatic war injury."
Court paperwork details allegations
During an interview, the victim told police that when she spent two nights at Rumbaugh's home, he sexually assaulted her a total of four times, according to the criminal complaint.
One time, she told police Rumbaugh bought her alcoholic iced tea, which she drank before they had sex, "but she didn't feel like herself."
Police said Rumbaugh told the victim "to keep this a secret until she was eighteen years old," according to court paperwork.
Community shocked by charges
After Rumbaugh was injured in Afghanistan, he returned to the Pittsburgh area and became a motivational speaker. He was also recognized by the U.S. Marines with a Commendation Medal for valor. The charges came as a shock to some community members who said they had thought of him as a "hero."
Shrager said Rumbaugh will be in court for the next preliminary hearing and the judge has made special requests to make sure his disability can be accommodated.
