Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced July 21 a man charged in a South Whitehall Township 2024 rape and kidnapping case will face all charges in Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas after a preliminary hearing July 21.

Erik Contes, 42, of Whitehall Township, was charged May 1 with rape and kidnapping to facilitate a felony, both felonies of the first degree; sexual assault, a felony of the second degree; and a misdemeanor count of indecent assault. Contes is free after posting $100,000 bail. Contes was ordered to face all charges after the preliminary hearing before District Judge Jacob Hammond.

According to the news release from the district attorney’s office, just after 2:30 a.m. June 2, 2024, a South Whitehall Township police officer was on a routine patrol in the area of Wehr Mill and Old Sentry roads when he saw a car parked in the grass on the side of the road.

The road is in a residential area with minimal foot and vehicle traffic. The officer said the driver, identified as Contes, said he had pulled over because a woman was vomiting inside the vehicle.

The victim, whose name will not be released, was with Contes and several others at a bar. Contes said he offered to drive the woman home, but she had “fallen out” of his vehicle and he was trying to get her back inside his car.

The officer noted the victim was highly intoxicated and needed medical attention. A paramedic noted Contes’ zipper was down and the officer’s body camera confirmed that.

Officers spoke with a witness who was at the bar, and she told investigators the victim’s home was not in the direction where the car had stopped. Police said the car was stopped more than 7 miles from the bar and the victim’s home was more than 4 miles away.

At the hospital, the victim could not recall the details of the incident and medical personnel noted she had abrasions on her body as well as grass and dirt inside her clothing.

The investigation revealed the victim had been raped and sexually assaulted, and Contes’ DNA matched a profile obtained during an examination, Holihan said.