Altoona man accused of raping friend in 2019 | TURN IN

ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) – Consensual sex with a friend allegedly turned into rape when an Altoona man didn’t take “no” for an answer, state police said.

The charges state that in 2019, Fredrick John Folta III, now 29, was accused of raping a friend who said she went to his house to help him with his studies.

State police said they spoke with the victim in September 2019, two days after the alleged incident. She told an investigator that she and Folta had been friends since middle school and were staying in his bedroom in the basement of a house on Old Route 22 in Freedom Township. The complaint says the woman told officers they had consensual sex, and while she was getting dressed, Folta tried to undress her again.

According to her account, she told Folta “no” at least five times before he managed to remove her pants and have sex again. She then said she left in tears, and Folta didn’t know why she was upset.

During the phone call, Folta allegedly said it wasn’t meant to be (rape) and didn’t say “no” to him aggressively enough. He believed it was all a misunderstanding and there was no intention on his part. He then admitted that, according to the complaint, it was “by definition” rape.

Folta was arraigned on Tuesday afternoon, June 11, on charges of rape, sexual assault, simple assault and harassment. He was booked into the Blair County Jail with bail set at 10 percent of $75,000.