WESTFIELD — After sexually assaulting a woman on a public transportation bus in December, a homeless man, who was on probation at the time, was arraigned on five counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 last week, according to court records.
On Jan. 14, Jonathan C. Houston, 25, had a warrant for his arrest issued after police filed the five charges against him for the incident that occurred on Dec. 6, according to court records.
Police said the victim contacted them on Dec. 10 to report that a man, later identified as Houston, had touched her five separate times on a Pioneer Valley Transit Authority bus.
The victim told police Houston touched her twice on her thigh, twice on her breast, and laid his head on her breast, according to the statement of facts filed by Police Detective Jared Rowe.
She described to investigators that the “unwanted touching” was “sexual in nature,” according to Rowe’s report.
Houston was identified by the victim, who didn’t know him, by a photo array and a video recording of the assault captured on the bus’s security camera.
Each assault was time-stamped and occurred over a period of 16 minutes, according to Rowe’s report.
Rowe requested a warrant be issued, believing Houston was homeless.
He was taken into custody on Jan. 15.
It was recorded on the bail order worksheet that Houston was also seen on the video recording drinking alcohol on the bus.
When arraigned, Houston pleaded not guilty and was ordered held in lieu of posting a $5,000 cash bail, according to court records.
A spokesperson with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office said on Tuesday that Houston remains in custody.
When arraigned, he was serving probation for an incident last June for which he was charged with two felonies for strangulation or suffocation and witness intimidation and misdemeanor resisting arrest, according to court records.
In November, Houston admitted the facts of the case were sufficient for a guilty finding after the witness intimidation charge was dismissed, according to court records.
He agreed to have the case continued without a finding after serving a year of probation that would have ended in November 2026.
