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A decorated Pittsburgh-area Marine, who lost both of his legs in Afghanistan, was arrested on Wednesday for raping a 13-year-old girl on multiple occasions, police said.
Brandon Rumbaugh, 34, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, is a motivational speaker known for his charity work. He was previously recognized by the Marines with a Commendation Medal for valor. He was wounded in combat after stepping on an IED.
However, he was arrested after contacting a girl when she was 11 or 12 via phone, police said. The teen told Allegheny County police that Rumbaugh was a family friend she had known since she was 10, according to a WPXI report.
She says she stayed at Rumbaugh’s home three times: once to watch movies and go to the gym, and twice when they allegedly had sex.
Police say surveillance footage shows Rumbaugh with the girl at a Sheetz while buying alcohol. The girl told investigators he once gave her alcoholic iced tea, which she drank before they had sex, "but she didn't feel like herself."
The girl noted that Rumbaugh didn’t have legs, and on one of the nights, another person was sleeping in the room while Rumbaugh assaulted her, the report stated.
Rumbaugh allegedly told her to keep the incidents a secret until she was 18 year ago, authorities said.
He is facing multiple charges, including rape, sexual assault, indecent assault and aggravated indecent assault. Rumbaugh remains in jail without bond.
After combat, Rumbaugh joined the Board of Directors for the It’s About the Warrior Foundation, managing its grant program to support veterans financially, he said in a 2017 CNN opinion article.
“In short, America has been there for me in all aspects. I now live in a handicapped-accessible house – newly built with my needs in mind and no mortgage – that was put together by Homes For Our Troops and the community in which I live. That alone has allowed me to focus on my new life, to attack a new career and explore without thinking about having to provide a home,” he wrote in the piece.
“At the end of the day, 99 percent of what I have accomplished after my injuries was possible because of other people who lent a helping hand, gave me advice, or were there when I needed someone. This is how it should be for all veterans,” he added.
Rumbaugh also founded ACT Motivational Speaking, sharing his story worldwide with sports teams, Fortune 500 companies, and college students.
The Uniontown community is shocked by Rumbaugh’s alleged actions, as one resident described the accusations to CBS News as “unsettling.”
"He's supposed to be a positive person for this community, and now this is coming out. It teaches us we need to be a little more careful with our babies," another resident, Jenn Smith, told the outlet.
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