Man charged in multiple assaults on fiancee, kids

An Effort man is being held without bail in Monroe County Correctional Facility while facing 70 criminal counts, including raping and beating his fiancee and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.

Cory Joseph Sullivan, 32, was arrested after state police were called to Mavis Tire on Dec. 23 in Chestnuthill Township to do a welfare check on his fiancee. A mechanic at Mavis called police after noticing injuries to the victim’s left eye and right ear, as well as bloodstains on her jeans.

The victim told police Sullivan had beat her that morning, using a metal rod to strike her in the head, arms, legs and torso. She outlined numerous instances of abuse when Sullivan would choke her, spit on her, throw her to the floor and smash her head on the ground.

Police requested interviews with three of the six children living in the house with Sullivan and the victim.

A 13-year-old girl told police Sullivan beat the victim almost every day, including and referenced one instance where he became angry because his eggs were too cold.

“Sullivan made the victim eat all of the food within one minute and because she could not do that, he struck her in the back, in the ribs and on the side,” according to the affidavit of probable cause filed by trooper Gabrielle Giello. Sullivan, on that occasion, also punched the teen in the back four times, angered by the fact she did not take the other children to a bedroom while he struck the victim.

Sullivan, according to charging documents, made his fiancee eat 2 pounds of scrapple when she took too long to cook breakfast, made her eat dog food and forced her to drink water out of puddles on the porch.

One night, when the victim tried to run to the neighbor’s house, Sullivan caught up with her and “beat her with a broomstick until it broke and poured water on her.”

The teen female in the house also told police she loaded Sullivan’s work truck up with tools every morning and one day, after she woke up late, Sullivan made her lay on the ground, in a supine position, and lift her feet and legs 6 inches off the ground.

“If her feet touched the ground before 10 minutes, she would have to lift her shirt up and Sullivan would whip her stomach with a belt,” according to the affidavit.

This happened on more than one occasion, the teen told police, including one when Sullivan used a studded belt.

In another incident detailed by the teen, Sullivan struck the victim with a belt after she picked up the wrong pizza order.

Sullivan also made the teen drink alcohol, often forcing her to do one shot per minute for five minutes or be struck with a belt.

“On one occasion she threw up on the back porch and Sullivan said, good job,” the affidavit states.

In the charging documents, police detailed numerous times when Sullivan sexually assaulted the teen. He also made the girl and his fiancee do naked snow angels outside for 10 to 15 minutes at a time.

According to the teen, all of the children were disciplined by Sullivan with his belt except for a 4-month-old infant.

Police also interviewed a 5-year-old girl, who said she was hit with a belt and on the face with an open hand.

Sullivan was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Kristina Anzini, who denied bail.

“Continues to attempt to reach victim, due to nature of charges — no bail can secure safety,” the judge noted on the docket sheet.

In total, Sullivan faces one count each of aggravated assault without consent, rape, aggravated assault — attempts to cause serious bodily injury or cause injury with extreme indifference, unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old, terroristic threats and corruption of minors; five counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse; two counts of strangulation; five counts of endangering the welfare of a child; 25 counts of simple assault; five counts of furnishing alcohol to a minor; and 21 counts of harassment.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 31 at 10 a.m.